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President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. met today with President João Lourenço, highlighting the transformation of the U.S.-Angolan relationship and reaffirming our joint commitment to continue working together to address global challenges. The two leaders discussed significant trade and investment opportunities that keep our companies competitive and defend the interests of workers, addressed the shared responsibility to protect and strengthen democracy in Angola and around the world, and celebrated the continued growth of the U.S.-Angola defense relationship. President Biden underscored the significance of the more than $3 billion in U.S. commitments to infrastructure projects in Angola in support of the Lobito Trans-Africa Corridor, a multinational initiative to help accelerate inclusive economic growth and connect markets along the Corridor to the world, all while creating quality jobs and improving lives and livelihoods both along the Corridor and in the United States. He also expressed appreciation for Angola’s role in promoting peace and security in sub-Saharan Africa, including its efforts to mediate the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).  

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President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. met today with President João Lourenço, highlighting the transformation of the U.S.-Angolan relationship and reaffirming our joint commitment to continue working together to address global challenges. The two leaders discussed significant trade and investment opportunities that keep our companies competitive and defend the interests of workers, addressed the shared responsibility to protect and strengthen democracy in Angola and around the world, and celebrated the continued growth of the U.S.-Angola defense relationship. President Biden underscored the significance of the more than $3 billion in U.S. commitments to infrastructure projects in Angola in support of the Lobito Trans-Africa Corridor, a multinational initiative to help accelerate inclusive economic growth and connect markets along the Corridor to the world, all while creating quality jobs and improving lives and livelihoods both along the Corridor and in the United States. He also expressed appreciation for Angola’s role in promoting peace and security in sub-Saharan Africa, including its efforts to mediate the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).  

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MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE

SUBJECT:       Delegation of Authority Under Section 614(a)(1)

of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 621 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA), I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State the authority under section 614(a)(1) of the FAA to determine whether it is important to the security interests of the United States to furnish up to $63 million in assistance to Ukraine without regard to any provision of law within the purview of section 614(a)(1) of the FAA.

You are authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.

                              JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

The post Memorandum on Delegation of Authority Under Section 614(a)(1) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 appeared first on The White House.

MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE

SUBJECT:       Delegation of Authority Under Section 614(a)(1)

of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 621 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA), I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State the authority under section 614(a)(1) of the FAA to determine whether it is important to the security interests of the United States to furnish up to $63 million in assistance to Ukraine without regard to any provision of law within the purview of section 614(a)(1) of the FAA.

You are authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.

                              JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

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The United States is disappointed in the lack of a legally binding international agreement fit to meet the moment on addressing plastic pollution at the INC-5 and we are resolved to make more progress in the next stages of this negotiation. While the global movement to reign in the urgent threats of plastic waste in the environment has gained tremendous momentum, a small group of countries and producers stood in the way of progress to protect their profits and perpetuate an inadequate status quo. The United States spearheaded an ambitious approach in Busan, reflected in our own domestic efforts, and we continue to back a global framework that supports private investment, good jobs, and our environment.

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The post Statement from NSC Spokesperson Sean Savett on Outcomes of the Fifth Negotiating Session on a Global Agreement to End Plastic Pollution appeared first on The White House.

The United States is disappointed in the lack of a legally binding international agreement fit to meet the moment on addressing plastic pollution at the INC-5 and we are resolved to make more progress in the next stages of this negotiation. While the global movement to reign in the urgent threats of plastic waste in the environment has gained tremendous momentum, a small group of countries and producers stood in the way of progress to protect their profits and perpetuate an inadequate status quo. The United States spearheaded an ambitious approach in Busan, reflected in our own domestic efforts, and we continue to back a global framework that supports private investment, good jobs, and our environment.

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The post Statement from NSC Spokesperson Sean Savett on Outcomes of the Fifth Negotiating Session on a Global Agreement to End Plastic Pollution appeared first on The White House.

On the occasion of President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s visit to Angola, we celebrate the transformation and deepening of the U.S.-Angola relationship.  This trip marks the first visit ever by a sitting U.S. president to the Republic of Angola, and the first visit of a U.S. president to sub-Saharan Africa since 2015.
 
This visit comes on the heels of a meeting in November 2023, when President Biden hosted President João Lourenço in the Oval Office in Washington, D.C.  In the time before and since, U.S. and Angolan counterparts have worked closely to advance both Presidents’ visions to expand impactful high-standard economic opportunities and improve global and regional security.  Together, the United States and Angola acknowledge the past horrors of slavery and its legacy, while looking forward to a bright future of continually deepening collaboration between our nations.  Today, President Biden and President Lourenço will meet in Luanda at the Presidential Palace to discuss trade, investment, and infrastructure; security and stability; and deepening U.S.-Angolan cooperation.  Tomorrow, President Biden will travel to Lobito, Angola for a Summit on infrastructure investment in the region with leaders from Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Tanzania, and Zambia. Information on continuing and new U.S.-Angolan partnership initiatives is provided below.
 
TRADE, INVESTMENT, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND DEVELOPMENT
 
At the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in 2022, the United States committed to focus on partnership with Africa through investment.  Advancing two-way trade and investment bolsters participation in the global economy, accelerates sustainable development, and scales innovation and entrepreneurship, resulting in increased economic opportunity for citizens on both sides of the Atlantic.  The United States and Angola are also working with other partners through the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI) to enhance trans-continental connectivity from the Atlantic to the Indian Oceans that enables additional commercial investment.  Tomorrow, President Biden and President Lourenço will co-host a multilateral Lobito Trans-Africa Corridor Summit to further accelerate the development of this critical economic corridor.

• The Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is an important U.S. initiative to enhance trade with African countries, under which Angola has benefited from trade preferences since 2004 and leveraged the annual AGOA Forum to advance trade and economic ties with the United States.  In 2023, two-way U.S.-Angola trade totaled approximately $1.77 billion, making Angola the United States’ fourth largest trade partner in sub-Saharan Africa. 
  
• In November 2024, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Angola’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce establishing the U.S.-Angola Commercial and Investment Partnership.  This Partnership will formalize regular collaboration between the two governments and with U.S. and Angolan industry stakeholders to enhance commercial ties and increase the ease of doing business.  Separately, the U.S. Department of Commerce is developing a Sub-Saharan Africa Rail and Port Trade Mission to Angola and South Africa in 2025 to connect U.S. companies with opportunities to meet demand for U.S. rail and port solutions in African markets.  Members of the President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa (PAC-DBIA)—which advises the President, through the Secretary of Commerce, on ways to strengthen commercial engagement between the United States and African countries—also traveled to Angola to join President Biden for a portion of the trip.
  
• In February 2024, to support trade between the U.S. and Angolan agricultural sectors, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) led an Agribusiness Trade Mission to Angola.  The mission supported 140 business-to-business meetings among sector leaders, with U.S. participants reporting $13.3 million in projected 12-month sales stemming from the trip.
  
• In October 2024, the United States and Angola signed an Open Skies Agreement to facilitate increased air connectivity and provide significant new opportunities for trade, tourism, and investment.  This follows a deal announced by Boeing and Angolan flag carrier TAAG in 2023 to purchase four new 787s, increasing TAAG’s capacity for long-haul flights.  
  
• To facilitate U.S.-Angola bilateral commercial relations in sectors such as energy, manufacturing, equipment and machinery, and aerospace and defense, the United States is connecting U.S. and African businesses with new buyers, suppliers, and investment opportunities through the Prosper Africa initiative.  Since January 2021, U.S. departments and agencies in the Prosper Africa initiative have closed 12 business deals and investments in Angola with a combined value of $6.9 billion.
  
• Since 2022, the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) has provided $2.9 billion in financing toward projects in Angola across the renewable energy, infrastructure, and telecom sectors.  For example, in May 2024, EXIM signed a final $363 million loan agreement for Acrow Bridge Corporation to install bridge infrastructure connecting rural communities across Angola in support of PGI. The projects financed in Angola support an estimated 6,200 U.S.-based jobs.  In 2024 alone, EXIM has issued an additional $2.7 billion in non-binding Letters of Interest across the agricultural, power, rail, health, education, and hospital sectors in Angola.
  
• For the past four years, the U.S. Department of the Treasury has closely supported Angola’s efforts to reduce its debt vulnerabilities through technical assistance.  The program has successfully enabled the Angolan government to reprofile its domestic debt and lower interest costs.  In December 2024, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will provide an additional $650,000 in technical assistance to support the Angola Ministry of Finance with debt and financial risk management.

LEADING GLOBALLY AND REGIONALLY TO KEEP PEOPLE SAFE AND PROMOTE THRIVING SOCIETIES

Together the United States and Angola are enhancing the security, safety, and well-being of their people by tackling shared challenges.  In addition to traditional security challenges, increasingly, we face also threats such as climate change, food insecurity, and disease that do not recognize or respect national borders.  Together, we are enabling more professional and accountable government actors that protect civilians, safeguard natural resources, and build more resilient health systems, and ensure no one is left behind.

• In September 2023, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin became the first U.S. Secretary of Defense to visit Angola.  In June 2024, the U.S. Department of Defense hosted the inaugural Joint Angolan-American Defense Cooperation Committee (DEFCOM) at the Pentagon.  During DEFCOM, representatives signed an agreement to allow the exchange of logistics goods and services between our respective militaries, which facilitates cooperation as we continue to build our growing defense partnership.  Angola and the U.S. Department of Defense, with the Department of State as appropriate, are continuing to plan for cooperative work in the areas of engineering, medicine, cyber, peacekeeping, maritime security, and the development of a coast guard.  The next DEFCOM meeting is planned to be held in Angola in 2025.  
  
• In September 2024, Angola agreed to join Department of Defense’s State Partnership Program (SPP) executed by the National Guard Bureau.  Through the SPP, Guard units work with partner militaries to bolster capabilities, improve interoperability, and enhance principles of responsible governance.  The SPP fosters long-term relationships across all levels of society and encourages the development of economic, political, and military ties between U.S. states and partner nations.  The National Guard Bureau is currently in the process of pairing Angola with a State National Guard that is well-aligned with Angola’s requirements.
  
• Since 2020, the United States has dedicated nearly $17 million toward training and professionalization for the Angolan military, including English language training, expanding women’s access to military education courses in the United States, and maritime security-focused training.  In just the past year, the U.S. increased annual International Military Education and Training assistance to Angola from $500,000 to $600,000.  The United States is also providing the Angolan Marines with eight rigid-hull inflatable boats and other critical equipment, with the final four boats scheduled to be delivered to Angola by the end of 2025.  
  
• The United States has been proud to partner with Angola to address regional and global issues, and it remains a steadfast partner in navigating challenging and complex situations.  The United States is providing more than $1 billion in additional humanitarian funding which will assist countries across Sub-Saharan Africa, including Angola, to respond to humanitarian crises including displacement and El Nino-induced drought.
  
• The United States is supporting Angola’s development of a cyber security strategy through almost $1.4 million in projects providing training and mentorship to the future cybersecurity workforce and assisting the Angolan Ministry of Defense’s creation of a cyber defense capability.
  
• The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has initiated discussions with the Angolan Ministries of Interior, Finance, and Trade on a three-year, $5 million program to bolster the two countries’ management, oversight, and accountability of their trade and travel sectors.  The program would focus on modernizing information sharing, allowing the governments to interdict threats and hazards at the earliest possible point, and mitigate and monitor threats from transnational criminal organizations and other malign non-state actors.
  
• Between 2019 and 2023, the Treasury Department provided technical assistance to help strengthen Angolan institutions’ ability to identify, detect, and prosecute money laundering, terrorist financing, and other crimes in support of Angola’s political and economic reforms.  USAID and the State Department are working with various Angolan institutions—including Parliament, the National Court of Accounts, and the Ministries of Health, Education and Finance—to build their public financial management, debt management, and anti-corruption capacity.  Capacity is also being built to support Angola’s implementation of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative standard.
  
• The United States and Angola are working together to combat timber trafficking through the creation of a National Forest Inventory, a critical tool for any country that seeks to conserve and manage its forest resources sustainably.  The State Department, through the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), announced $750,000 in new programs in Angola to improve the identification, interdiction, and confiscation of illicit commodities.  USAID will add $1.3 million from fiscal year 2023 Southern Africa regional Sustainable Landscapes resources to an existing partnership of $1.3 million to expand the partnership between the U.S. Forest Service and the Government of Angola’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forests to continue work on the forest inventory, establish a partnership for carbon market utilization, and develop a Forest Monitoring System.
  
• The State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration provides funding to support refugee assistance, as well as regional funding to UNHCR to support the nearly 56,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Angola.  
  
• Angola is a founding member of the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation, an initiative committed to the interconnected goals of advancing a peaceful, stable, prosperous, open, safe, and cooperative Atlantic as well as to conserving the Atlantic Ocean as a healthy, sustainable, and resilient resource for generations to come.  To develop Angola’s capacity for ocean science research and support for ocean-based food security, the United States is collaborating with the Atlantic community to leverage support for Angola’s ocean research vessel Baia Farta.  The United States and Angola have concluded a Letter of Intent to formalize collaboration, including, for example, on bringing U.S. experts to Angola to support ocean science capacity building and training through the Fulbright Specialist program.  In addition, the U.S. public-private partnership with OceanX will identify opportunities for Angolan early career scientists and youth to access ocean science research, foster a new generation of ocean advocates, and collaborate on initiatives with NGOs and philanthropies, including with OceanX aboard the research vessel OceanXplorer in early 2025.
  
• Through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), more than 25,000 people living with HIV in Angola are receiving life-saving treatment, building efforts to reduce mother-to-child HIV transmission.  Over the past two decades, the United States has invested nearly $251 million to provide HIV testing, prevention, care, and treatment services, and to strengthen public health systems through optimized laboratory services, quality data management, and supply chain security in Angola.
  
• Since 2006, USAID has provided nearly $415 million to address malaria through the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) in Angola.  In the past year, PMI distributed almost 5 million fast-acting malaria medicines and more than 9 million rapid diagnostic tests to clinics and communities to protect and treat Angolans.  More than 12,000 Angolan health workers have been trained since 2023 to diagnose and treat malaria.  Angola experienced a 29 percent decrease in malaria deaths in PMI-focused provinces in 2023 compared with 2020 levels.
  
• USAID is in the process of re-establishing a bilateral Mission in Angola to continue expanding the presence of the United States in Angola and further strengthen our emerging strategic partnership.  
  
• The United States, in partnership with COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) and the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT), donated more than 11 million safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine doses to the people of Angola.
  
• The United States is proud to work with Angola on bolstering African-led solutions to current and future health emergencies.  In September 2024, the United States announced $500 million and one million mpox vaccine doses to support African countries to prevent and respond to the current mpox outbreak.  We are delivering on that commitment, with two thirds of the more than $500 million of support to mpox preparedness and response already available and at work supporting countries in the region.  All one million vaccine doses are currently available for allocation by WHO and Africa CDC based on needs and demand in the region.  Angola has joined the United States as a Global Health Security partner, which will foster greater collaboration as both countries strive to protect the health, lives, and economic well-being of our citizens and people throughout the world.  

CELEBRATING THE U.S.-ANGOLA RELATIONSHIP

The United States and Angola are bound by enduring historical ties and invigorated by our dynamic future.  We share a commitment to reckon with the horrific history of the trans-Atlantic trade of enslaved people by striving to reconnect cultures and celebrating collaboration between our nations.  People are at the heart of this connection.  Today, there are nearly 12 million Americans of Angolan descent.  These relationships—rooted in family, friendship, and community—improve and enrich our lives.  They drive our cooperation, underpin our shared values, and elevate our aspirations.

• In 1619, a vessel carrying enslaved Africans who had been captured in Angola and forcibly marched over one hundred miles along a route known as the Kwanza Corridor landed in present-day Hampton, Virginia.  As many as 6 million enslaved people were kidnapped from their homes and forced from Angolan shores.  We are committed to learning from the horrors endured by enslaved people and honor their descendants, who continue to fight for civil rights, justice, and freedom.  The United States supports Angola’s nomination of the Kwanza Corridor to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites as a way to look forward, to reconnect cultural ties, and to celebrate Angola’s richness and beauty.  
  
• The United States is pleased to announce a grant of $229,000 to support restoration and conservation of the 1786 Álvaro de Carvalho Matoso Residence, Angola’s National Slavery Museum Building.  Founded in 1977, the Museum offers programming promoting a message of harmony, humanism, and respect for human rights.  The funds will go toward the restoration of the building’s exterior and interior galleries.
  
• The United States and Angola look forward to a future strengthened by people-to-people ties that reconnect cultures, promote dialogue, and encourage creative collaboration between our nations.  In August 2024, the City of Hampton, Virginia, the Fort Monroe Authority, the U.S. National Park Service, and Project 1619, Inc. hosted the annual African Landing Day Commemoration at the future site planned to honor the lives of the enslaved Africans stolen from Angola and taken to modern-day Hampton.  In September 2024, Hampton and the City of Malanje in Angola signed a Sister City agreement, which will further enshrine the deep connections between our citizens.  
  
• The United States and Angola share a commitment to enhancing dialogue with the African Diaspora.  President Biden established the President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement (PAC-ADE) in December 2022.  PAC-ADE members discussed this historic visit to Angola with Assistant to the President, Senior Advisor to the President, and Director of the Office of Public Engagement Stephen Benjamin in October 2024.  PAC-ADE members also traveled to Angola to join President Biden for a portion of the trip.
  
• The United States supports Angola’s efforts to combat corruption, enhance accountability, and institutionalize the rule of law.  In October 2024, the United States and Angola agreed to schedule the next iteration of our bilateral human rights dialogue. We are collaborating on multiple human rights-focused initiatives.  These efforts require advancing democratic governance and respecting human rights, including the fundamental rights to freedoms of expression, press, association, peaceful assembly, and religion or belief.  The United States continues to support Angola’s commitment to reforms, including by amplifying civil society and faith-based organizations’ roles in improving the quality of elections and local decision-making.  The State Department has provided $10.5 million since 2021 in support of these goals, and plans to continue providing such funding, subject to the availability of funds.  
  
• The United States is moving forward with Angola to protect and improve democracy as the work of our time.  The State Department is building on its existing governance investments with an additional $700,000 for capacity building and specialized training to lawyers engaged in human rights defense and similar fields, to strengthen the efficiency and independence of the judicial system, and for the Angolan Ombudsperson’s office to increase engagement with citizens, supporting transparency and good governance.  In October 2024, the United States and Angola agreed to schedule the next iteration of our bilateral human rights dialogue.
  
• People-to-people ties are essential to the U.S.-Angola relationship.  Since 1968, more than 1,200 Angolans have participated in U.S. Government-sponsored educational and professional exchange programs, including the Fulbright Program, the International Visitor Leadership Program, the Mandela Washington Fellowship, and the Pan-Africa Youth Leadership Program, among others.  Through these programs, we are reconnecting cultures, promoting dialogue, and nurturing collaboration between our nations.
  
• In 2024, the United States is contributing almost $140,000 to expand English-language training through the English Access Scholarship Program (Access) and the Learning is Never Too Late program.  Access provides vocational English and 21st-century skills to 100 participants ages 17 to 25 in Angola.  The Learning is Never Too Late program offers English and digital journalism instruction to 40 girls in Luanda.  The U.S. Embassy in Luanda is also providing curriculum development training valued at $100,000 for English department faculty and conducting capacity building for English educators and university administrators.
  
• EducationUSA offers advising services at the U.S. Embassy in Luanda to Angolan students interested in pursuing higher education opportunities in the United States.  University partnerships have strengthened capacity in higher education administration, fostered joint research efforts, created faculty exchanges, and developed new academic programs in STEM-related fields.  Notably, a collaboration between the University of California, Berkeley, and Agostinho Neto University has led to significant advancements in agricultural research, benefiting both institutions and their communities.  
  
• In November 2023, Angola become the third African nation to sign the Artemis Accords, signaling its commitment to promoting the responsible use of space.  The United States and Angola will continue to work together to advance a common vision of space exploration for the benefit of all humankind.
  
• Since 2020, the U.S. Embassy in Angola has issued more than $490,000 in grants to support initiatives that are important to the Angolan people.  These grants have funded programs in entrepreneurship, English language, journalism, music, and intellectual property rights.  By addressing these critical areas, the Embassy aims to empower individuals and strengthen communities throughout Angola.

 
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On the occasion of President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s visit to Angola, we celebrate the transformation and deepening of the U.S.-Angola relationship.  This trip marks the first visit ever by a sitting U.S. president to the Republic of Angola, and the first visit of a U.S. president to sub-Saharan Africa since 2015.
 
This visit comes on the heels of a meeting in November 2023, when President Biden hosted President João Lourenço in the Oval Office in Washington, D.C.  In the time before and since, U.S. and Angolan counterparts have worked closely to advance both Presidents’ visions to expand impactful high-standard economic opportunities and improve global and regional security.  Together, the United States and Angola acknowledge the past horrors of slavery and its legacy, while looking forward to a bright future of continually deepening collaboration between our nations.  Today, President Biden and President Lourenço will meet in Luanda at the Presidential Palace to discuss trade, investment, and infrastructure; security and stability; and deepening U.S.-Angolan cooperation.  Tomorrow, President Biden will travel to Lobito, Angola for a Summit on infrastructure investment in the region with leaders from Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Tanzania, and Zambia. Information on continuing and new U.S.-Angolan partnership initiatives is provided below.
 
TRADE, INVESTMENT, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND DEVELOPMENT
 
At the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in 2022, the United States committed to focus on partnership with Africa through investment.  Advancing two-way trade and investment bolsters participation in the global economy, accelerates sustainable development, and scales innovation and entrepreneurship, resulting in increased economic opportunity for citizens on both sides of the Atlantic.  The United States and Angola are also working with other partners through the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI) to enhance trans-continental connectivity from the Atlantic to the Indian Oceans that enables additional commercial investment.  Tomorrow, President Biden and President Lourenço will co-host a multilateral Lobito Trans-Africa Corridor Summit to further accelerate the development of this critical economic corridor.

• The Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is an important U.S. initiative to enhance trade with African countries, under which Angola has benefited from trade preferences since 2004 and leveraged the annual AGOA Forum to advance trade and economic ties with the United States.  In 2023, two-way U.S.-Angola trade totaled approximately $1.77 billion, making Angola the United States’ fourth largest trade partner in sub-Saharan Africa. 
  
• In November 2024, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Angola’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce establishing the U.S.-Angola Commercial and Investment Partnership.  This Partnership will formalize regular collaboration between the two governments and with U.S. and Angolan industry stakeholders to enhance commercial ties and increase the ease of doing business.  Separately, the U.S. Department of Commerce is developing a Sub-Saharan Africa Rail and Port Trade Mission to Angola and South Africa in 2025 to connect U.S. companies with opportunities to meet demand for U.S. rail and port solutions in African markets.  Members of the President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa (PAC-DBIA)—which advises the President, through the Secretary of Commerce, on ways to strengthen commercial engagement between the United States and African countries—also traveled to Angola to join President Biden for a portion of the trip.
  
• In February 2024, to support trade between the U.S. and Angolan agricultural sectors, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) led an Agribusiness Trade Mission to Angola.  The mission supported 140 business-to-business meetings among sector leaders, with U.S. participants reporting $13.3 million in projected 12-month sales stemming from the trip.
  
• In October 2024, the United States and Angola signed an Open Skies Agreement to facilitate increased air connectivity and provide significant new opportunities for trade, tourism, and investment.  This follows a deal announced by Boeing and Angolan flag carrier TAAG in 2023 to purchase four new 787s, increasing TAAG’s capacity for long-haul flights.  
  
• To facilitate U.S.-Angola bilateral commercial relations in sectors such as energy, manufacturing, equipment and machinery, and aerospace and defense, the United States is connecting U.S. and African businesses with new buyers, suppliers, and investment opportunities through the Prosper Africa initiative.  Since January 2021, U.S. departments and agencies in the Prosper Africa initiative have closed 12 business deals and investments in Angola with a combined value of $6.9 billion.
  
• Since 2022, the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) has provided $2.9 billion in financing toward projects in Angola across the renewable energy, infrastructure, and telecom sectors.  For example, in May 2024, EXIM signed a final $363 million loan agreement for Acrow Bridge Corporation to install bridge infrastructure connecting rural communities across Angola in support of PGI. The projects financed in Angola support an estimated 6,200 U.S.-based jobs.  In 2024 alone, EXIM has issued an additional $2.7 billion in non-binding Letters of Interest across the agricultural, power, rail, health, education, and hospital sectors in Angola.
  
• For the past four years, the U.S. Department of the Treasury has closely supported Angola’s efforts to reduce its debt vulnerabilities through technical assistance.  The program has successfully enabled the Angolan government to reprofile its domestic debt and lower interest costs.  In December 2024, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will provide an additional $650,000 in technical assistance to support the Angola Ministry of Finance with debt and financial risk management.

LEADING GLOBALLY AND REGIONALLY TO KEEP PEOPLE SAFE AND PROMOTE THRIVING SOCIETIES

Together the United States and Angola are enhancing the security, safety, and well-being of their people by tackling shared challenges.  In addition to traditional security challenges, increasingly, we face also threats such as climate change, food insecurity, and disease that do not recognize or respect national borders.  Together, we are enabling more professional and accountable government actors that protect civilians, safeguard natural resources, and build more resilient health systems, and ensure no one is left behind.

• In September 2023, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin became the first U.S. Secretary of Defense to visit Angola.  In June 2024, the U.S. Department of Defense hosted the inaugural Joint Angolan-American Defense Cooperation Committee (DEFCOM) at the Pentagon.  During DEFCOM, representatives signed an agreement to allow the exchange of logistics goods and services between our respective militaries, which facilitates cooperation as we continue to build our growing defense partnership.  Angola and the U.S. Department of Defense, with the Department of State as appropriate, are continuing to plan for cooperative work in the areas of engineering, medicine, cyber, peacekeeping, maritime security, and the development of a coast guard.  The next DEFCOM meeting is planned to be held in Angola in 2025.  
  
• In September 2024, Angola agreed to join Department of Defense’s State Partnership Program (SPP) executed by the National Guard Bureau.  Through the SPP, Guard units work with partner militaries to bolster capabilities, improve interoperability, and enhance principles of responsible governance.  The SPP fosters long-term relationships across all levels of society and encourages the development of economic, political, and military ties between U.S. states and partner nations.  The National Guard Bureau is currently in the process of pairing Angola with a State National Guard that is well-aligned with Angola’s requirements.
  
• Since 2020, the United States has dedicated nearly $17 million toward training and professionalization for the Angolan military, including English language training, expanding women’s access to military education courses in the United States, and maritime security-focused training.  In just the past year, the U.S. increased annual International Military Education and Training assistance to Angola from $500,000 to $600,000.  The United States is also providing the Angolan Marines with eight rigid-hull inflatable boats and other critical equipment, with the final four boats scheduled to be delivered to Angola by the end of 2025.  
  
• The United States has been proud to partner with Angola to address regional and global issues, and it remains a steadfast partner in navigating challenging and complex situations.  The United States is providing more than $1 billion in additional humanitarian funding which will assist countries across Sub-Saharan Africa, including Angola, to respond to humanitarian crises including displacement and El Nino-induced drought.
  
• The United States is supporting Angola’s development of a cyber security strategy through almost $1.4 million in projects providing training and mentorship to the future cybersecurity workforce and assisting the Angolan Ministry of Defense’s creation of a cyber defense capability.
  
• The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has initiated discussions with the Angolan Ministries of Interior, Finance, and Trade on a three-year, $5 million program to bolster the two countries’ management, oversight, and accountability of their trade and travel sectors.  The program would focus on modernizing information sharing, allowing the governments to interdict threats and hazards at the earliest possible point, and mitigate and monitor threats from transnational criminal organizations and other malign non-state actors.
  
• Between 2019 and 2023, the Treasury Department provided technical assistance to help strengthen Angolan institutions’ ability to identify, detect, and prosecute money laundering, terrorist financing, and other crimes in support of Angola’s political and economic reforms.  USAID and the State Department are working with various Angolan institutions—including Parliament, the National Court of Accounts, and the Ministries of Health, Education and Finance—to build their public financial management, debt management, and anti-corruption capacity.  Capacity is also being built to support Angola’s implementation of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative standard.
  
• The United States and Angola are working together to combat timber trafficking through the creation of a National Forest Inventory, a critical tool for any country that seeks to conserve and manage its forest resources sustainably.  The State Department, through the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), announced $750,000 in new programs in Angola to improve the identification, interdiction, and confiscation of illicit commodities.  USAID will add $1.3 million from fiscal year 2023 Southern Africa regional Sustainable Landscapes resources to an existing partnership of $1.3 million to expand the partnership between the U.S. Forest Service and the Government of Angola’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forests to continue work on the forest inventory, establish a partnership for carbon market utilization, and develop a Forest Monitoring System.
  
• The State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration provides funding to support refugee assistance, as well as regional funding to UNHCR to support the nearly 56,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Angola.  
  
• Angola is a founding member of the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation, an initiative committed to the interconnected goals of advancing a peaceful, stable, prosperous, open, safe, and cooperative Atlantic as well as to conserving the Atlantic Ocean as a healthy, sustainable, and resilient resource for generations to come.  To develop Angola’s capacity for ocean science research and support for ocean-based food security, the United States is collaborating with the Atlantic community to leverage support for Angola’s ocean research vessel Baia Farta.  The United States and Angola have concluded a Letter of Intent to formalize collaboration, including, for example, on bringing U.S. experts to Angola to support ocean science capacity building and training through the Fulbright Specialist program.  In addition, the U.S. public-private partnership with OceanX will identify opportunities for Angolan early career scientists and youth to access ocean science research, foster a new generation of ocean advocates, and collaborate on initiatives with NGOs and philanthropies, including with OceanX aboard the research vessel OceanXplorer in early 2025.
  
• Through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), more than 25,000 people living with HIV in Angola are receiving life-saving treatment, building efforts to reduce mother-to-child HIV transmission.  Over the past two decades, the United States has invested nearly $251 million to provide HIV testing, prevention, care, and treatment services, and to strengthen public health systems through optimized laboratory services, quality data management, and supply chain security in Angola.
  
• Since 2006, USAID has provided nearly $415 million to address malaria through the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) in Angola.  In the past year, PMI distributed almost 5 million fast-acting malaria medicines and more than 9 million rapid diagnostic tests to clinics and communities to protect and treat Angolans.  More than 12,000 Angolan health workers have been trained since 2023 to diagnose and treat malaria.  Angola experienced a 29 percent decrease in malaria deaths in PMI-focused provinces in 2023 compared with 2020 levels.
  
• USAID is in the process of re-establishing a bilateral Mission in Angola to continue expanding the presence of the United States in Angola and further strengthen our emerging strategic partnership.  
  
• The United States, in partnership with COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) and the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT), donated more than 11 million safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine doses to the people of Angola.
  
• The United States is proud to work with Angola on bolstering African-led solutions to current and future health emergencies.  In September 2024, the United States announced $500 million and one million mpox vaccine doses to support African countries to prevent and respond to the current mpox outbreak.  We are delivering on that commitment, with two thirds of the more than $500 million of support to mpox preparedness and response already available and at work supporting countries in the region.  All one million vaccine doses are currently available for allocation by WHO and Africa CDC based on needs and demand in the region.  Angola has joined the United States as a Global Health Security partner, which will foster greater collaboration as both countries strive to protect the health, lives, and economic well-being of our citizens and people throughout the world.  

CELEBRATING THE U.S.-ANGOLA RELATIONSHIP

The United States and Angola are bound by enduring historical ties and invigorated by our dynamic future.  We share a commitment to reckon with the horrific history of the trans-Atlantic trade of enslaved people by striving to reconnect cultures and celebrating collaboration between our nations.  People are at the heart of this connection.  Today, there are nearly 12 million Americans of Angolan descent.  These relationships—rooted in family, friendship, and community—improve and enrich our lives.  They drive our cooperation, underpin our shared values, and elevate our aspirations.

• In 1619, a vessel carrying enslaved Africans who had been captured in Angola and forcibly marched over one hundred miles along a route known as the Kwanza Corridor landed in present-day Hampton, Virginia.  As many as 6 million enslaved people were kidnapped from their homes and forced from Angolan shores.  We are committed to learning from the horrors endured by enslaved people and honor their descendants, who continue to fight for civil rights, justice, and freedom.  The United States supports Angola’s nomination of the Kwanza Corridor to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites as a way to look forward, to reconnect cultural ties, and to celebrate Angola’s richness and beauty.  
  
• The United States is pleased to announce a grant of $229,000 to support restoration and conservation of the 1786 Álvaro de Carvalho Matoso Residence, Angola’s National Slavery Museum Building.  Founded in 1977, the Museum offers programming promoting a message of harmony, humanism, and respect for human rights.  The funds will go toward the restoration of the building’s exterior and interior galleries.
  
• The United States and Angola look forward to a future strengthened by people-to-people ties that reconnect cultures, promote dialogue, and encourage creative collaboration between our nations.  In August 2024, the City of Hampton, Virginia, the Fort Monroe Authority, the U.S. National Park Service, and Project 1619, Inc. hosted the annual African Landing Day Commemoration at the future site planned to honor the lives of the enslaved Africans stolen from Angola and taken to modern-day Hampton.  In September 2024, Hampton and the City of Malanje in Angola signed a Sister City agreement, which will further enshrine the deep connections between our citizens.  
  
• The United States and Angola share a commitment to enhancing dialogue with the African Diaspora.  President Biden established the President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement (PAC-ADE) in December 2022.  PAC-ADE members discussed this historic visit to Angola with Assistant to the President, Senior Advisor to the President, and Director of the Office of Public Engagement Stephen Benjamin in October 2024.  PAC-ADE members also traveled to Angola to join President Biden for a portion of the trip.
  
• The United States supports Angola’s efforts to combat corruption, enhance accountability, and institutionalize the rule of law.  In October 2024, the United States and Angola agreed to schedule the next iteration of our bilateral human rights dialogue. We are collaborating on multiple human rights-focused initiatives.  These efforts require advancing democratic governance and respecting human rights, including the fundamental rights to freedoms of expression, press, association, peaceful assembly, and religion or belief.  The United States continues to support Angola’s commitment to reforms, including by amplifying civil society and faith-based organizations’ roles in improving the quality of elections and local decision-making.  The State Department has provided $10.5 million since 2021 in support of these goals, and plans to continue providing such funding, subject to the availability of funds.  
  
• The United States is moving forward with Angola to protect and improve democracy as the work of our time.  The State Department is building on its existing governance investments with an additional $700,000 for capacity building and specialized training to lawyers engaged in human rights defense and similar fields, to strengthen the efficiency and independence of the judicial system, and for the Angolan Ombudsperson’s office to increase engagement with citizens, supporting transparency and good governance.  In October 2024, the United States and Angola agreed to schedule the next iteration of our bilateral human rights dialogue.
  
• People-to-people ties are essential to the U.S.-Angola relationship.  Since 1968, more than 1,200 Angolans have participated in U.S. Government-sponsored educational and professional exchange programs, including the Fulbright Program, the International Visitor Leadership Program, the Mandela Washington Fellowship, and the Pan-Africa Youth Leadership Program, among others.  Through these programs, we are reconnecting cultures, promoting dialogue, and nurturing collaboration between our nations.
  
• In 2024, the United States is contributing almost $140,000 to expand English-language training through the English Access Scholarship Program (Access) and the Learning is Never Too Late program.  Access provides vocational English and 21st-century skills to 100 participants ages 17 to 25 in Angola.  The Learning is Never Too Late program offers English and digital journalism instruction to 40 girls in Luanda.  The U.S. Embassy in Luanda is also providing curriculum development training valued at $100,000 for English department faculty and conducting capacity building for English educators and university administrators.
  
• EducationUSA offers advising services at the U.S. Embassy in Luanda to Angolan students interested in pursuing higher education opportunities in the United States.  University partnerships have strengthened capacity in higher education administration, fostered joint research efforts, created faculty exchanges, and developed new academic programs in STEM-related fields.  Notably, a collaboration between the University of California, Berkeley, and Agostinho Neto University has led to significant advancements in agricultural research, benefiting both institutions and their communities.  
  
• In November 2023, Angola become the third African nation to sign the Artemis Accords, signaling its commitment to promoting the responsible use of space.  The United States and Angola will continue to work together to advance a common vision of space exploration for the benefit of all humankind.
  
• Since 2020, the U.S. Embassy in Angola has issued more than $490,000 in grants to support initiatives that are important to the Angolan people.  These grants have funded programs in entrepreneurship, English language, journalism, music, and intellectual property rights.  By addressing these critical areas, the Embassy aims to empower individuals and strengthen communities throughout Angola.

 
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The post FACT SHEET: President Biden’s Trip to Angola appeared first on The White House.

East Room

12:54 P.M. EST

THE FIRST LADY:  Hello.  How are you?  (Applause.)  (Laughs.)  Hi.  Well, gosh.

In the swirl of the end of each year, we hope to begin to turn toward our hope for tomorrow.

So, as we celebrate our finally — final holiday season here in the White House, we are guided by the values that we hold sacred: faith, family, and service to our country, kindness toward all of our neighbors, and the power of community. 

So, that’s what inspired this holiday theme, what I think of this time of year: “A Season of Peace and Light.”

We begin with light from the stunning, rotating star above the East entrance, as when you all came in.  And walking in, we’re embraced by the sparkling spirit of the season, as light-filled greenery led us to the first Christmas tree display, dedicated to our Gold Star Families.  (Applause.)

And this year’s Gold Star Tree exhibit is constructed of six large stars — I think you all saw them by now, right? — representing each branch of our military.  I thought it was just beautiful walking in and seeing the gold and leading to that tree.  You know, the names of fallen service members are written on the gold star ornaments on the accompanying Christmas trees. 

And the display honors the heroic men and women of our country, of our nation’s military who have laid down their lives for our country, those who are missing in action, and the families who carry on their legacies. 

So, may God bless our troops and their families.  (Applause.)

Then chiming bells call us to the East Colonnade, where bells of all sizes float above us and line every archway, filling the air with the sounds of the season. 

In the East Garden Room, a horse-drawn sleigh pulls us into the historic mansion.  It was really cute, wasn’t it?  (Laughter.)  And there, we enter another hall of light as lush garlands of green envelope us in the tranquility of nature.

In the Library, a twirling forest of vintage ceramic trees shines with the color of the holidays.  And walking in, I was taken back to my childhood, because when the — (laughs) — when that tree first came out — so you know it’s an antique — (laughter) — we knew Christmas had become — had begun. 

So, across the hall, in the Vermeil Room, we enjoy trees of stacked bows and vibrant silk flowers.

And artisanal breads spill out of the China Room, and we can almost smell their warm aroma filling the air with memories.

Earlier this year, I opened the Diplomatic [Reception] Room — it was the first time o- — to be on the tour, so — the expanded White House tour.  So, I hope you saw — those of you who were here other years, I hope you saw the difference.  You know, I tried to make the tour come alive.  It was important to me, as an educator.

So, this holiday season, for the first time, guests will be able to enjoy that space, and it features the White House Historical Association ornament honoring President Carter.  God bless him.  (Applause.)

Now, look above us.  Here in the East Room, a reflective canopy wraps us in a peaceful snowfall.

In the Green Room, a rainbow of glass ornaments fills the room with a burst of color and light.

And just outside the Green Room, we find the Official White House Menorah, made during Joe’s first year in the White House fo- — the carpentry shop made that themselves.  Make sure that you see it.  It’s truly beautiful.  And, you know, it came from wood on the — from the White House grounds in the renovation of this house 70 years ago.  That’s pretty incredible.

So, in the Blue Room — (laughs) — you know, you can’t help but smile when you see that tree.  (Laughter.)  And as the animals move up and down and — you know, and we see the holiday candy treats lining the tree, don’t you feel like you’re a kid again?  And sitting on a carousel, you know, is that world of light just spinning around us.

So, the White House Chris- — official Christmas tree also features the name of every state and territory and the District of Columbia as you look around the top of it.  And each year, I love watching all the visitors — and you’ll probably see it yourselves when you walk in there — looking for your home state and, you know, seeing your faces light up as you find, like, “Hey, there’s Delaware” or Pennsylvania, New Jersey.

In the Red Room, glowing gifts from under the Christmas tree lift — light the messages of peace above.

And for the State Dining Room, we invited military families from the USS Delaware and the Gab- — USS Gabrielle Giffords, the two Navy vessels that I have the honor of sponsoring, to create some paper garlands hanging throughout the room.  I thought they looked so beautiful.

And adorning the sparkling Christmas trees beside them are self-portraits by students from across the country.  (Applause.)  And I know that some of the teachers — some of their teachers are here and they helped decorate the tree.  So, how many of you are teachers?  (Applause.)  How many of you are teachers?  Lots of teachers.  I love that.  Because teachers always get stuff done.  (Applause.)  (Laughs.)

So, the trees are amazing.

Of course, the room also features this year’s incredible gingerbread house.  I love that.  (Applause.)  Didn’t you see it light up?  I mean, it was just so beautiful.  And did you see the ice-skating rink right in front of it?

And Susie and Carlo did — you know, you did such an amazing job.  So, thank you for creating that.  (Applause.)

And this year’s display captures the light of our theme, from the glowing windows to the bright star on top of the house — of the gingerbread house.

And in the Cross Hall behind me, spectacular flocks of hand-cut peace doves fly across the sky.  (Applause.)  I mean, it th- — really, how — how beautiful is that?

And finally, don’t miss that teddy bear driving the vintage red truck.  (Laughter.)

Now, to you, the people who brought this vision to life, our volunteers: This — (applause) — yes, all of you — this would not be possible without your work.  It’s been incredible to watch all of you transform this space year after year.

And you traded time with families for hours gluing, you know, with hot — hot glue guns and — you know, and Thanksgiving wris- — leftovers for tired wrists from wiring ornaments to the trees, because, you know, you can’t just hang it; it has to be, you know, hung perfectly.  (Laughter.)  I know, some of you are perfectionists.  That’s okay.  (Laughter.)

And some of — and you have to wrap them around and around the branch so the ornaments stay on, because you know thousands of kids are coming through here and they’re going to try to pull them off, so you have to make sure that they’re secure.  They always try too.  I mean, you know — 

But it’s during those long afternoons when your hands are sore from cutting the ribbons just so, from hanging the greenery, that’s when these lifelong friendships are made.  And that’s when the magic happens.

So, I’m already hearing about the text chains you’re creating to keep in touch.  (Laughs.)  I wish you could add my name to those.  (Laughter.)  

So, thank you for everything that you’ve done.

To Bryan Rafanelli, who’s back there in the corner — Bryan — (applause) — love you — and his team, I’m so grateful for your vision and leadership.  And to all the incredible decorators who were here, like Glitterville, BMF, Silver Lining, Cheree Berry Paper & Design, Frost Chicago, thank you for dedicating your time and talents to this design.

I’m also grateful to the National Confectioners Association for their partnership and unyielding support.  (Applause.)  Thank — so, let’s thank all of them.  (Applause.)

And there’s another person who helped bring the magic of our theme to life: the incredible illustrator of our 2024 White House Holiday G- — Holiday Guide, Zoe Ranucci.  Zoe, where are you?  Oh, there she is.  (Applause.) 

You’ll have to say hello to everybody, Zoe, because they so appreciate everything you’ve done.  Thank you for creating the beautiful artistry in your design. 

So, these last four years, you know, there’s a group of people who have helped us stay in touch with the American people, and they’re our correspondence volunteers.  (Applause.)  So, you can imagine how much I appreciate them, as an English teacher, and their writing skills, because I teach writing.  So, all of you are an essential part of our democracy, and I’m so grateful for your work.

Thank you all for your heart and for everything you’ve done to make this possible — the people’s house.

So, for Joe and for me, these are the final holidays at the White House.  So, standing with all of you, I remember the first time we walked across this threshold right over here on Inauguration Day, and the gravitational pull of history guided us forward, wrapping us in the centuries of stories that live here in this house.

Then we were finally able to welcome all the visitors.  And on public tours and on receptions and as volunteers decorated during the holidays during the four years, your laughter and ideas harmonized with the echoes of the past.  And in those moments, this became more than a historic house.  You made it a home, alive with purpose and possibility.

And that’s why, each year, we’ve opened the doors of the people’s house wider and wider so we can bring the light of more Americans into these halls. 

It’s been the honor of our lives to serve as your first family.  May our nation be blessed with peace and light this holiday season.

Merry Christmas.  Happy Holidays.  We love you all.

Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Love you.  (Applause.)

1:07 P.M. EST

The post REMARKS BY FIRST LADY JILL BIDEN AT THE UNVEILING OF THE 2024 WHITE HOUSE HOLIDAY THEME AND DECOR appeared first on The White House.

East Room

12:54 P.M. EST

THE FIRST LADY:  Hello.  How are you?  (Applause.)  (Laughs.)  Hi.  Well, gosh.

In the swirl of the end of each year, we hope to begin to turn toward our hope for tomorrow.

So, as we celebrate our finally — final holiday season here in the White House, we are guided by the values that we hold sacred: faith, family, and service to our country, kindness toward all of our neighbors, and the power of community. 

So, that’s what inspired this holiday theme, what I think of this time of year: “A Season of Peace and Light.”

We begin with light from the stunning, rotating star above the East entrance, as when you all came in.  And walking in, we’re embraced by the sparkling spirit of the season, as light-filled greenery led us to the first Christmas tree display, dedicated to our Gold Star Families.  (Applause.)

And this year’s Gold Star Tree exhibit is constructed of six large stars — I think you all saw them by now, right? — representing each branch of our military.  I thought it was just beautiful walking in and seeing the gold and leading to that tree.  You know, the names of fallen service members are written on the gold star ornaments on the accompanying Christmas trees. 

And the display honors the heroic men and women of our country, of our nation’s military who have laid down their lives for our country, those who are missing in action, and the families who carry on their legacies. 

So, may God bless our troops and their families.  (Applause.)

Then chiming bells call us to the East Colonnade, where bells of all sizes float above us and line every archway, filling the air with the sounds of the season. 

In the East Garden Room, a horse-drawn sleigh pulls us into the historic mansion.  It was really cute, wasn’t it?  (Laughter.)  And there, we enter another hall of light as lush garlands of green envelope us in the tranquility of nature.

In the Library, a twirling forest of vintage ceramic trees shines with the color of the holidays.  And walking in, I was taken back to my childhood, because when the — (laughs) — when that tree first came out — so you know it’s an antique — (laughter) — we knew Christmas had become — had begun. 

So, across the hall, in the Vermeil Room, we enjoy trees of stacked bows and vibrant silk flowers.

And artisanal breads spill out of the China Room, and we can almost smell their warm aroma filling the air with memories.

Earlier this year, I opened the Diplomatic [Reception] Room — it was the first time o- — to be on the tour, so — the expanded White House tour.  So, I hope you saw — those of you who were here other years, I hope you saw the difference.  You know, I tried to make the tour come alive.  It was important to me, as an educator.

So, this holiday season, for the first time, guests will be able to enjoy that space, and it features the White House Historical Association ornament honoring President Carter.  God bless him.  (Applause.)

Now, look above us.  Here in the East Room, a reflective canopy wraps us in a peaceful snowfall.

In the Green Room, a rainbow of glass ornaments fills the room with a burst of color and light.

And just outside the Green Room, we find the Official White House Menorah, made during Joe’s first year in the White House fo- — the carpentry shop made that themselves.  Make sure that you see it.  It’s truly beautiful.  And, you know, it came from wood on the — from the White House grounds in the renovation of this house 70 years ago.  That’s pretty incredible.

So, in the Blue Room — (laughs) — you know, you can’t help but smile when you see that tree.  (Laughter.)  And as the animals move up and down and — you know, and we see the holiday candy treats lining the tree, don’t you feel like you’re a kid again?  And sitting on a carousel, you know, is that world of light just spinning around us.

So, the White House Chris- — official Christmas tree also features the name of every state and territory and the District of Columbia as you look around the top of it.  And each year, I love watching all the visitors — and you’ll probably see it yourselves when you walk in there — looking for your home state and, you know, seeing your faces light up as you find, like, “Hey, there’s Delaware” or Pennsylvania, New Jersey.

In the Red Room, glowing gifts from under the Christmas tree lift — light the messages of peace above.

And for the State Dining Room, we invited military families from the USS Delaware and the Gab- — USS Gabrielle Giffords, the two Navy vessels that I have the honor of sponsoring, to create some paper garlands hanging throughout the room.  I thought they looked so beautiful.

And adorning the sparkling Christmas trees beside them are self-portraits by students from across the country.  (Applause.)  And I know that some of the teachers — some of their teachers are here and they helped decorate the tree.  So, how many of you are teachers?  (Applause.)  How many of you are teachers?  Lots of teachers.  I love that.  Because teachers always get stuff done.  (Applause.)  (Laughs.)

So, the trees are amazing.

Of course, the room also features this year’s incredible gingerbread house.  I love that.  (Applause.)  Didn’t you see it light up?  I mean, it was just so beautiful.  And did you see the ice-skating rink right in front of it?

And Susie and Carlo did — you know, you did such an amazing job.  So, thank you for creating that.  (Applause.)

And this year’s display captures the light of our theme, from the glowing windows to the bright star on top of the house — of the gingerbread house.

And in the Cross Hall behind me, spectacular flocks of hand-cut peace doves fly across the sky.  (Applause.)  I mean, it th- — really, how — how beautiful is that?

And finally, don’t miss that teddy bear driving the vintage red truck.  (Laughter.)

Now, to you, the people who brought this vision to life, our volunteers: This — (applause) — yes, all of you — this would not be possible without your work.  It’s been incredible to watch all of you transform this space year after year.

And you traded time with families for hours gluing, you know, with hot — hot glue guns and — you know, and Thanksgiving wris- — leftovers for tired wrists from wiring ornaments to the trees, because, you know, you can’t just hang it; it has to be, you know, hung perfectly.  (Laughter.)  I know, some of you are perfectionists.  That’s okay.  (Laughter.)

And some of — and you have to wrap them around and around the branch so the ornaments stay on, because you know thousands of kids are coming through here and they’re going to try to pull them off, so you have to make sure that they’re secure.  They always try too.  I mean, you know — 

But it’s during those long afternoons when your hands are sore from cutting the ribbons just so, from hanging the greenery, that’s when these lifelong friendships are made.  And that’s when the magic happens.

So, I’m already hearing about the text chains you’re creating to keep in touch.  (Laughs.)  I wish you could add my name to those.  (Laughter.)  

So, thank you for everything that you’ve done.

To Bryan Rafanelli, who’s back there in the corner — Bryan — (applause) — love you — and his team, I’m so grateful for your vision and leadership.  And to all the incredible decorators who were here, like Glitterville, BMF, Silver Lining, Cheree Berry Paper & Design, Frost Chicago, thank you for dedicating your time and talents to this design.

I’m also grateful to the National Confectioners Association for their partnership and unyielding support.  (Applause.)  Thank — so, let’s thank all of them.  (Applause.)

And there’s another person who helped bring the magic of our theme to life: the incredible illustrator of our 2024 White House Holiday G- — Holiday Guide, Zoe Ranucci.  Zoe, where are you?  Oh, there she is.  (Applause.) 

You’ll have to say hello to everybody, Zoe, because they so appreciate everything you’ve done.  Thank you for creating the beautiful artistry in your design. 

So, these last four years, you know, there’s a group of people who have helped us stay in touch with the American people, and they’re our correspondence volunteers.  (Applause.)  So, you can imagine how much I appreciate them, as an English teacher, and their writing skills, because I teach writing.  So, all of you are an essential part of our democracy, and I’m so grateful for your work.

Thank you all for your heart and for everything you’ve done to make this possible — the people’s house.

So, for Joe and for me, these are the final holidays at the White House.  So, standing with all of you, I remember the first time we walked across this threshold right over here on Inauguration Day, and the gravitational pull of history guided us forward, wrapping us in the centuries of stories that live here in this house.

Then we were finally able to welcome all the visitors.  And on public tours and on receptions and as volunteers decorated during the holidays during the four years, your laughter and ideas harmonized with the echoes of the past.  And in those moments, this became more than a historic house.  You made it a home, alive with purpose and possibility.

And that’s why, each year, we’ve opened the doors of the people’s house wider and wider so we can bring the light of more Americans into these halls. 

It’s been the honor of our lives to serve as your first family.  May our nation be blessed with peace and light this holiday season.

Merry Christmas.  Happy Holidays.  We love you all.

Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Love you.  (Applause.)

1:07 P.M. EST

The post REMARKS BY FIRST LADY JILL BIDEN AT THE UNVEILING OF THE 2024 WHITE HOUSE HOLIDAY THEME AND DECOR appeared first on The White House.

In September, the President announced a surge in security assistance for Ukraine to put Ukrainian forces in the strongest possible position before he leaves office. As part of that effort, he directed his team to fully utilize all funding available for Ukraine’s defense. Today, we are announcing a $725 million security assistance package for Ukraine, which includes substantial quantities of artillery, rockets, and air defense capabilities. The President has directed the Department of Defense to deliver the materiel to Ukraine rapidly — to ensure that Ukraine has the equipment it needs to defend itself. Between now and mid-January, we will deliver hundreds of thousands of additional artillery rounds, thousands of additional rockets, and other critical capabilities to help Ukraine defend its freedom and independence. 

In addition to this surge in assistance, the President has authorized a series of additional steps to strengthen Ukraine’s position in this war. Earlier this year, the President decided to prioritize U.S. air defense exports for Ukraine, and as a result of this decision, Ukraine has received hundreds of additional air defense missiles, with more deliveries on the way. To help Ukraine stabilize its lines in the east, the President has authorized the provision of non-persistent anti-personnel land mines to Ukraine as a limited exception to the Administration’s continuing landmine policy.  In response to the entry of North Korean soldiers into this war, the President has decided to adjust permissions on Ukraine’s use of U.S.-provided long-range missiles. And to disrupt Russia’s war machine, the United States has implemented major sanctions against Russia’s financial sector, with more sanctions to follow. 

The President is seeking to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position, and we will continue to execute upon this strategy in support of Ukraine and its fight for freedom. 

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The post Statement from National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan appeared first on The White House.

In September, the President announced a surge in security assistance for Ukraine to put Ukrainian forces in the strongest possible position before he leaves office. As part of that effort, he directed his team to fully utilize all funding available for Ukraine’s defense. Today, we are announcing a $725 million security assistance package for Ukraine, which includes substantial quantities of artillery, rockets, and air defense capabilities. The President has directed the Department of Defense to deliver the materiel to Ukraine rapidly — to ensure that Ukraine has the equipment it needs to defend itself. Between now and mid-January, we will deliver hundreds of thousands of additional artillery rounds, thousands of additional rockets, and other critical capabilities to help Ukraine defend its freedom and independence. 

In addition to this surge in assistance, the President has authorized a series of additional steps to strengthen Ukraine’s position in this war. Earlier this year, the President decided to prioritize U.S. air defense exports for Ukraine, and as a result of this decision, Ukraine has received hundreds of additional air defense missiles, with more deliveries on the way. To help Ukraine stabilize its lines in the east, the President has authorized the provision of non-persistent anti-personnel land mines to Ukraine as a limited exception to the Administration’s continuing landmine policy.  In response to the entry of North Korean soldiers into this war, the President has decided to adjust permissions on Ukraine’s use of U.S.-provided long-range missiles. And to disrupt Russia’s war machine, the United States has implemented major sanctions against Russia’s financial sector, with more sanctions to follow. 

The President is seeking to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position, and we will continue to execute upon this strategy in support of Ukraine and its fight for freedom. 

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The post Statement from National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan appeared first on The White House.

On Sunday, December 1, 2024, the President signed into law:

H.R. 1505, the “No Stolen Trademarks Honored in America Act of 2023,” which modifies the prohibition on recognition by United States courts of certain rights relating to certain marks, trade names, or commercial names.

Thank you to all the Representatives and Senators who helped advance this legislation for their leadership.

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The post Press Release: Bill Signed: H.R. 1505 appeared first on The White House.

On Sunday, December 1, 2024, the President signed into law:

H.R. 1505, the “No Stolen Trademarks Honored in America Act of 2023,” which modifies the prohibition on recognition by United States courts of certain rights relating to certain marks, trade names, or commercial names.

Thank you to all the Representatives and Senators who helped advance this legislation for their leadership.

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The post Press Release: Bill Signed: H.R. 1505 appeared first on The White House.

Aboard Air Force One
En Route Luanda, Angola

2:45 P.M. CVT

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, just one note at the top before I hand it over. I know you’ve all seen the president’s statement on the pardon he signed for his son, Hunter. The president’s statement was quite comprehensive, but I’ll take your questions on this after my NSC colleague, Admiral John Kirby, previews the president’s trip to Angola and takes your question on foreign policy news of the day. And after — after that, we’ll — we’ll continue.

Go ahead, Admiral.

MR. KIRBY: Thanks, Karine.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Sure.

MR. KIRBY: Just two things.

One, I think you may have seen the statement issued by the first lady and the president following reports of the death of Omer Neutra. This is a young, 21-year-old Israeli soldier who was apparently killed on — or during the 7th of October attacks, and only now have the Israelis been able to confirm his death. So, it’s a terrible, devastating loss for the family. Our thoughts and prayers go out to them. Our condolences go out to them.

As you may remember, the — they were two of the parents that the president had a chance to — to see personally in the Oval Office just about a month ago.

So, terrible news and wanted to pass that along. You’ll see that condolence letter.

Now, if I could just jump real quick to what we’re doing here on the trip. We’re obviously en — en route to Luanda right now, where President Biden will have a couple of days of several important meetings and discussions.

It’s a historic visit, not just because he’s — it’s the first time a U.S. president has visited Angola, but because it’s really emblematic of President Biden’s priority to strengthen global alliances and partnerships and, really, of our strategic approach to — when it comes to U.S.-Africa policy.

We have absolutely transformed this relationship, working on a range of critical issues together. Angola has been a strategic partner in working to improve security in Eastern DRC, and it’s also helped to advance the Lobito trans-Africa corridor, which, when complete, will connect Africa from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean, making global supply chains more resilient, creating more economic opportunities for communities across the continent and the United States and, quite frankly, around the world too.

The Lobito Corridor epitomizes the model of U.S. international investment and engagement that the president has championed through his signature initiative: the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment — or “PGI,” as you know it.

Since President Biden and G7 leaders launched PGI back in ‘22, the United States has mobilized more than $80 billion in investments through federal financing, grants, and leveraged private-sector investments.

In the Lobito Corridor alone, the United States has committed some $3 billion, and we’re just one member. The EU, the Africa Finance Corporation have all chipped in to many, many mil- — many millions mo- — of dollars more.

You can expect that the president will discuss all of these and other important issues when he meets with President Lourenço in Luanda later tomorrow.

And then, also tomorrow, he’s going to get a chance to deliver some remarks that both acknowledges the horrific history of slavery that has connected our two nations but also looks forward to a future predicated on a shared vision that benefits both our peoples.

He’ll also have the chance to meet separately with members of congress, members of the Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa, and members of the Advisory Council on Africa Diaspora Engagement, which he established during the Africa Leaders’ Summit December of ‘22.

And then, as we’re looking forward, we see this trans-Africa — Lobito trans-Africa corridor — that project as a real game changer for U.S. engagement in Africa. And that’s why, on Wednesday, he’s going to have a chance to go see for himself, talk to leaders of the countries situated along that corridor — Angola, the DRC, Zambia, Tanzania. And during those conversations, he’ll underscore his vision for stronger U.S.-Africa relationships and greater opportunities.

And I think, with that, I can stop.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Will.

Q Okay. I’ve got two on the pardon.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, no, no, no. Can you stick to foreign policy? If not, we’ll —

Q All right. I’ll do one — one there.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: If not, we’ll go to somebody else.

Q But I don’t want to run out of time.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yep.

Q On Syria, Jake suggested on Sunday that this suggests that — that the — the rebel offensive meant that maybe Syrian allies were distracted, which, you know, might not be such a terrible thing for U.S. foreign policy. But it also seems like there might be a chance that things are really destabilized, and there might be a big- — a bigger chance for, like, a global conflict.

MR. KIRBY: Yeah. We’re watching this really closely. And it’s too soon to know how this is all going to shake out.

As Jake said, it clearly is — it demonstrates to us that — that Assad’s biggest backers — Hezbollah, Iran, Russia — they’re all distracted and, quite frankly, we believe they’re weakened.

Now, whether that is the connective tissue here that means there’s going to be a big change in Syria, we just don’t know.

As — as Jake also pointed out, the group that’s moving in on Aleppo is a designated terrorist group by the United States. So, these are not — these are not good folks.

So, we’re — we’re going to watch this closely, but it’s — it’s really too soon to know what kind of impact it’s going to have across the country —

Q John, do you have any reaction —

MR. KIRBY: — or in the region.

Q John, do you have any reaction to some of the comments by Ukraine’s Zelenskyy over the past couple of days, kind of hinting at a phase post this hot stage of the war, talking about the idea of NATO membership in exchange for giving up the territory that they’ve already lost to — to Russia, diplomatic solutions inst- — to retaking some territory? Does any of that make sense? And — and are we getting closer to the end of this conflict?

MR. KIRBY: You know, Trevor, since the very beginning, we’ve made — we’ve made very, very clear that how — if and however this war ends, it’s got to end in a way that is commensurate with the — the aspirations of the Ukrainian people and, quite frankly, with President Zelenskyy and the policies that — and — and pursuits that he is — that he’s after. He gets to decide if and when he’s ready to negotiate, and he gets to decide what, if anything, he’s willing to negotiate.

Our job has been and will continue to be throughout the rest of this administration making sure that we’re putting him and his army in the best position of strength we possibly can so that when negotiations begin, he — he has leverage, he has some — some power at the table. And that’s what we’re focused on.

Q And one more. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, the president was seen exiting a bookshop with a copy of a book by a Columbia historian, Rashid Khalidi, who has referred to the Palestinian conflict essentially as being an ethnic cleansing operation. Why did the president choose to read that book at this point in his presidency?

MR. KIRBY: Look, when you say something like that, it reminds me of what Mark Twain said, that the — the — a man who refuses to read good books has no advantage over a man who cannot or won’t read those books.

I can’t speak to why the president made that particular purchase. Wasn’t with him. Haven’t had a chance to ask him. But he reads broadly, and he’s fascinated by history and the lessons of history and where that can take us going forward.

So, it doesn’t surprise me that he would go into a bookstore and get a book of history, particularly about the Middle East, to try to imbibe and to try to keep learning.

I mean, he really does believe in speaking, learning, thinking broadly, and that’s what that tells me.

Q And he was — he was actually reading it? He’s actually reading it?

MR. KIRBY: I don’t — I don’t know.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Anita.

Q Can we talk about Angola and the security cooperation aspect of this trip? What are some of the priorities for this administration? What are the areas that Angola has identified?

MR. KIRBY: I mean, I me- — I mentioned a big one, which is getting this Lobito Corridor and this — this rail corridor, economic corridor completed. nd it’s going to take years, but there’s already been a lot of work went into it.

And it’s going to l- — reduce, literally by days, the amount of time that it takes to move crops and goods from one side of the continent to the — to the other. It’s going to create incredible economic opportunities here on the continent, and it will help also continue to drive towards this clean energy transition that — that he knows President Lourenço is very interested in.

Q So, the average Angolan is, like, 19 years old. They don’t relate to, like, this cold war sort of, balance of power struggle on the continent that we’re seeing with China and the U.S. And, likewise, this colonial narrative of exporting raw materials from the continent doesn’t resonate with them. What are you offering to them — young Angolans?

MR. KIRBY: I’d say there is no cold war on the continent. We’re not asking countries to choose between us and Russia and China. We’re simply looking for reliable, sustainable, verifiable investment opportunities that the people of Angola and the people of the continent can rely on, because too many countries have relied on spotty investment opportunities and are now racked by debt.

And what the president is trying to put forward with the — with the other leaders of the G7 is a series of programs and opportunities that allow them to build out their infrastructure, improve their economic livelihoods — and the livelihoods of those young people, by the way; give them opportunities to rise and grow and develop without having to be racked by debt.

Q The trip is coming towards the end of President Biden’s administration. You touched on China and Russia. But do you think this trip is enough to, I guess, establish that
level of, you know, interest that the U.S. has in the African continent? Like, the trip is coming so late towards the end, so is this essentially, you know, showing African nations that the U.S., really, you know, is serious about committing to —

MR. KIRBY: I mean, since — since we launched the summit — the African Leaders Summit in ‘22, there have been
more than 20 Cabinet-level officials that have visited the continent. The president will be, obviously, the last of the administration to do that, but he has been preceded by a whole heck of a lot of travel — travel which, by the way — visits, which, by the way, delivered some 40-million-plus dollars of investment and — and assistance into Africa.

So, I — I just kind of push back on the premise that this is sort of a Johnny-come-lately trip at the — at the very end. This is something he’s been focused on since he became president of the United States, and he’s grateful for the opportunity to round out his time as president with a — with a trip to Angola.

Q Can you — are you able to touch on what some of the deliverables might be for President Biden this trip? Are you able to kind of highlight what we can expect in terms of, I don’t know, investment numbers? Is there anything you can share on that?

MR. KIRBY: I’m not going to get ahead of him and his announcement. You’ll hear more from him on this tomorrow. But I think you’ll hear from him — you’ll hear him talk about additional U.S. commitments to the Lobito Corridor, additional U.S. commitments to global health, additional U.S. commitments to clean energy transition and climate programs here, as well as people-to-people exchanges.

I mean, I — he’ll have a whole raft of things — range of things that he will be speaking to about in terms of current and future U.S. commitment to the continent.

Q John, with the limited amount of time that you have left in office at this point, can you give an assessment of the likelihood of a ceasefire deal in Gaza and Israel?

MR. KIRBY: We’re working on it every single day. And I wish I could give you odds. I can’t do that. But I can tell you, without a doubt, 100 percent of our energy and effort is being put to try to getting this. And it’s really — the — the main stumbling block continues to be Hamas.

And we believe that as they look at the world right now, they ought to see just how isolated and weakened they are. Iran is no longer there for them. Hezbollah is no longer there for them. You know, the — the Houthis aren’t doing anything materially to support what they’re trying to do. They’ve lost their leader, Mr. Sinwar. It’s time for Hamas to come to the table. And we’re going to keep — we’re going to keep doing that.

We’re working with ta- — Qatar, Egypt, Turkey. Even as we speak, there are active conversations that our team is having with them to see if we can get this on the table. There’s no reason why we — we can’t do it. We just have to — we just have to bring it home.

Q John, on Lebanon. Is it concerning to you that Israel has continued to strike Lebanon even after the ceasefire deal was agreed to? Does that raise any concerns about the deal coming to fruition?

MR. KIRBY: So, we are seeing some sporadic strikes in the last few days. This was expected. This is why — I mean, you’re talking about a war that’s been raging now for, actually, many years, if you think about it — certainly, since October 7th. We went from hundreds of rocket attacks to basically zero by Hezbollah and dozens of air strikes by Israel to one or two per day. So, there’s been a dramatic reduction in the violence.

We did put in place a mechanism to actually work out and deconflict and to try to stop these attacks. That mechanism is in — in full force and is working.

There’s a U.S. Army general who is basing himself out of the embassy in Beirut as part of this mechanism process, as we announced that we would do. And that’s — that’s ongoing.

Q What is that mechanism? Can you expand on what that is?

MR. KIRBY: Yeah, we have a — in Amos, we have a civilian and, in the military, we have a one-star general who are sort of operating as our connective tissue to the parties to try to monitor and keep the ceasefire implemented. And that deconfliction process, that system is in place.

So, again, largely speaking — sorry —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, no. It’s okay.

MR. KIRBY: Largely speaking, though, the ceasefire is — is holding.

Q I’ll continue on — on the cease- — or, on Lebanon. So, as far — other than the fact that Hezbollah is severely weakened now, what makes this ceasefire different in terms of its chances of succeeding compared to all the other previous Lebanon ceasefires?

MR. KIRBY: Well, again, we believe we have a mechanism in place, a system in place to monitor it and to implement that. And, again, so far, it largely is doing that.

Q Has it stopped any Israeli strikes?

MR. KIRBY: There have been sporadic strikes. No question about it. As the president said when he announced it, Israel has the right — inherent right of self-defense, so I’ll let them speak to what they’re targeting.

But we’ve gone from, you know, dozens of strikes, you know, down to one a day, maybe two a day. That’s a tremen- — tremendous reduction, and we’re going to keep trying to see what we can do to — to get it down to zero so that both sides are fully implementing it.

But this is a — this is the — only a — what? — a week or so old. So, there’s a lot more work to do.

Q Is that — is that due to the mechanism working? As in, is the U.S., through this mechanism, restraining Israel?

MR. KIRBY: I think it’s part — it’s part — it’s part and parcel of the mechanism working, but also the leaders on both sides are committed to this. They are in a — both — both sides in a different place after months and months of going after one another, and we think they both are, you know, still committed to this.

Q Can I ask one about Lobito? On the Lobito Corridor project. Obviously, Trump has a very different foreign policy view from this administration, so how — how Trump-proof is this project, this investment? And, you know, could — could he come in and, you know, if this doesn’t work with his “America First” vision — he obviously thinks that there is a cold war ongoing on the continent, so if this doesn’t jive with that, could — could he — could we see this whole thing fall apart?

MR. KIRBY: I’ll let President Trump and his team speak for what they will or won’t do once they get into office.

We are still in office. We still have 50 days. This is a — a key, major development not just for the United States and our foreign policy goals in Africa but for Africans, for, you know, the countries across the continent, particularly those involved in the — in the corridor itself, those four countries. And it will bring real opportunity to them.

So, our sense is — and you’ll see this for yourself when you all go there the day after tomorrow — that the leaders of those four countries are absolutely dedicated to seeing this through, because they see the value to their young people, to their population, to their economies. And that’s what we’re really trying to do, is drive a lasting investment opportunity that truly has a generational effect on — on prosperity on the continent.

Q So, this can and will go forward — sorry — witho- — without U.S. investment if U.S. investment is pulled?

MR. KIRBY: I can’t speak for those leaders and what they will do or won’t do, and I certainly don’t want to hy- — hypothesize about what President Trump might or might not do.

It’s our fervent hope that as the new team comes in and takes a look at this that they see the value too, that they see how it will help drive a more secure, more prosperous, more economically stable continent.

Q Speaking of there being only one president at a time, we saw that Canada’s premier met with Donald Trump. Did he speak to President Biden? Has Mexico’s president engaged with President Biden over this debate over tariffs? And do you feel that’s appropriate?

MR. KIRBY: I’m — I’m not aware of any follow-on conversations that President Biden had with Prime Minister Trudeau since his meeting with — with President-elect Tr- — Trump on this. And is it appropriate for foreign leaders to speak to an incoming president-elect? Yeah, of course it is.

Okay.

Q Thanks, John.

MR. KIRBY: All right. Over to you.

Q Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right. Okay. Go ahead, Will. I know you had two.

Q Okay. Thank you. Sorry about that.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. No, no. It’s okay. I just wanted to —

Q So, two questions.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — to give the Admiral and NSC their time.

Q Fair enough. Fair enough.

Topic of the day: You — you have said repeatedly yourself since the election, the president has said for months no pardon was coming. I just — you know, I wanted to ask you: Could those statements now be seen as lies from the American people? Is there really a credibility issue here, given now this announcement?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: First of all, one of the things that the president always believes is to be truthful to the American people. That is something that he always truly believes.

And if you see the end of his — I’m — I assume that you’ve read his — his statement — and you look at the end of that statement, and he actually says that in the first line in the last paragraph and — and respects the thinking and how the American people will actually see this in his decision-making.

And I would encourage everyone to read in full the president’s statement. I think he lays out his thought process. He lays out how he came to this decision. He came to this decision this weekend. So, let’s be very clear about that.

He says it himself. It’s in his voice. He said he came to this decision this weekend, and he said he wrestled with this and — because he believes in the justice system, but he also believes that the (inaudible) politics infected the process and led to a — a miscarriage of justice. This is his words. I’m just repeating what the president said.

He also said that no reasonable person, if you are looking at this in a good-faith way, if you are looking at the facts of Hunter’s cases and can reach — you can’t reach any other conclusion, right? And what we have seen — and not just us; there’s other people who have commented on the president’s actions in the last 24 hours — I’ve lost track of time — and could see that Hunter was si- — singled out and — because he — his last name was Biden, because he was the president’s son. That’s what we saw.

And so, the president believed enough is enough, and the president took action. And he also believes that they tried to break his son in order to break him. That’s what we saw.

And this — again, I am just repeating what the president said. I think the statement in full really lays out his thought process. He said that he came to this decision this weekend, and — and he wrestled with it. It was not — it wasn’t an easy decision to make.

Q But, Karine —

(Cross-talk.)

Q So, when — when he says —

Q One — one other —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Laughs.) Okay.

Q Sorry. Just a re- — just real quick on that. The — the two of them were together this weekend. Did the president and Hunter discuss this possibility? Did they talk about this happening?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, what I can say is he made this decision hi- — this weekend. He made it himself. I don’t have anything else to discuss beyond that.

Q Karine —

Q Do you know if he talked about it with Hunter?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I just don’t have anything to discuss. I — I’ve been pretty consistent in — in not talking about private conversations that the — he’s had with his family. I just don’t have anything to say besides the president made this decision this weekend, as he said in his statement, and he made this deci- — this decision himself. Once he made s- — this desic- — this decision, he shared it with his senior
staff.

Go ahead.

Q What changed, though? What ch- — the — the reasons y- — he laid out in his statement, if we assume those to be correct, that’s been correct. The — those are not changes that occurred this weekend. So, what changed his mind this weekend?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, again, it’s in — it’s in his statement. He wrestled with it. He thought about it. And he tr- — he believed and what he saw was that his son was singled out. And so, he made the decision. And once he made the decision, which was this weekend, he decided to move forward with it and not to — not to wait.

And, you know, I think he truly believed enough is enough. This is — this is — we have seen, in last five years or so, the president’s political opponents say this. Not even — I mean, this is not the president saying it; they said it themselves. They were going after Hunter Biden.

Q So —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: And so, he made this decision.

Q So, Karine, when the — when the president says that — that the justice system is “infected” with politics, how deep is the rot? And how much of the blame does the president take on himself for the fact that his — his own Justice Department, his appointees, have allowed to — have — have allowed it to get this bad?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Let me just — le- — and I’m going to get to your answers, but I do want to just share a couple of things from — for example, former Attorney General Eric Holder said, “No U.S. attorney would have charged this case given the underlying facts. After a five-year investigation, the facts as discovered only made that clear. Had his name been Joe Smith, the resolution would have been fundamentally and more fairly a decl- — a declination. Pardon warranted.”

Former U.S. attorney to the Eastern District of Michigan, Barbara McQuade, said, “Pardon of Hunter Biden is the best interest of justice. Based on the facts, most federal prosecutors would have declined to charge him. The botched mis- — misdemeanor guilty plea and sentence of the diversion were a tell that the special counsel had the same assessment.”

One more. Former deputy chief of — of the Criminal Division Southern District of New York said, “As SDNY Criminal Division deputy chief, I was responsible for approving charges and non-prosecution requests. I wouldn’t have approved Hunter Biden’s tax or gun cases. If Hunter’s last name wasn’t Biden, I don’t believe he would have ch- — he would have been charged. His pardon is justified.”

And the president says it — I’m going to pull out his statement — to your — to your question. And this — this plays into what I just read with the SDNY deputy chief, which is, look, there was a deal on the table — “a carefully negotiated plea deal, agreed to by the Department of Justice, unraveled in the courtroom, with a number” — this is the president’s voice — “with a number of my political opponents in Congress taking credit for bringing political pressure on the process. Had the plea deal held, it would have been a fair, reasonable resolution of Hunter’s cases.” This is the president saying this.

Q Yeah, he’s saying his own Justice Department is broken, Karine.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: He believe- — he believes — he’s — he believes in the Justice Department. He believes that there was —

Q After saying all of that?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: He believes —

Q He believes in the Justice Department?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: This is his words. He said this. This is the president saying this.

Q He just said it’s “infected” with politics.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — he believes — “I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively and unfair[ly] prosecuted.”

Q So, how deep is the rot?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I’m not —

Q How many selective —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, I — I —

Q — prosecutions are there at the DOJ?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What I — what I can speak to — what I can speak to is this particular case, which is Hunter Biden, who has the last name of the president, who, I just said, there were political opponents who were very clear and very vocal about going after his son. And I just laid out — and there’s more — multiple people who are part of that — who are part of that system — right? — who have either worked in the justice system or currently do so, and they have been very clear on how they feel about this particular case — the cases against Hunter Biden.

Q So, can other — can other —

Q But, Karine —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I don’t —

Q — the judge was also clear in this case. The judge said it wasn’t political pressure when it came to the plea deal. They said this was a process issue, that you basically had two agreements in one and that you can’t have side deal.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yep.

Q There were basic questioning —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q — in this case that both lawyers could not really answer the questions of.

So, the president, in his statement, is he not undermining the judge and a judicial system that he promised would be independent? The judge in this case did not say —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Hold on.

Q — it was political pressure.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: And I — and I just talked about the SDNI [SDNY] Criminal Division deputy chief who said he was responsible for th- — for approving the charges and not prosecuting requests. I just also quoted him and what he said, right?

And there are others who have said — former White House counsel said, “If — if I were his White House counsel, I would encourage him to pardon his son. The clemency power has few limitations and certainly would extend to a Hunter Biden — Hunter Biden pardon.”

Former Watergate Assistant Special Prosecutor Jill Weinberg: “This was one of those cases that called out for clemency. Hunter Biden, first of all, would not ever be prosecuted for the gun crime but for his last name. Hunter has now been sober for many years, and this — and this is a time when it is really appropriate to grant a clemency.”

Look —

Q Karine —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — the president — wait. Wait. Two things could be true. The president does believe in the justice s- — system and — and the Department of Justice, and he also believes that his son was singled out politically. And this is what we saw over and over and over again over the last couple of years.

And when his deal — that deal that — that fell apart, which the president said in his statement he thought would have been fair — the president said this — that the Desh- — the Department of Justice agreed with — he said if that had gone through, he believed it would have been fair. When that fell apart, his own political opponents just continued to revel in it.

And one of the reasons the president did the pardon is because they didn’t seem like — his political po- — opponents would let go of it. It didn’t seem like they would move on.

Q Is —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: And so, this is why this president took this action.

Q But is it the same argument —

Q Is the president seeking —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay, guys. Okay.

Q Karine —

Q Is the president seeking the resignation of the attorney general?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No.

(Inaudible.)

Q Is — do you think this would have happened if Harris hadn’t lost the election?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, I’m not going to — I’m not going to get into — into the election. It is a no. I can answer that. It is a no.

And what I can say —

Q It’s a no, this would not have happened if Harris hadn’t lost the election?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Oh, would — what would have not happened?

Q The pardon would not have happened —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Oh, I’m not —

Q — if Harris hadn’t lost the election?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, it’s hap- — what I can speak to — where we are today. And so, I can’t speak to hypotheticals here.

Where we are today: The president made this decision over the weekend. He thought about it. He wrestled with it. And for him, he made this decision because he believed his son was being politically singled out.

Q But we’re wondering what changed his mind. And obviously, the election — in the statement he refers to “enough is enough.” He thinks that there could be further — it sounds like he thinks there could be further prosecution of Hunter under a Trump administration.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: He didn’t — he didn’t believe that they would let up. Right? He didn’t think that they would — they would continue to go after his son. That’s what he believed.

And, look, I’m not going to get into hypotheticals, to the original part of your question. The president wrestled with this decision. He made this decision this weekend. And he decided to move forward with pardoning his son.

Q But these systematic —

Q So, does the president believe now — does the president believe now and agree with President-elect Trump that the justice system has been weaponized for political purposes and that it needs r- — root — root and branch reform?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No. Read the president’s statement. Seriously, read the pr- — the president’s statement. He said he believes in the Department of Justice. He does. He says it in his statement.

He believes — he also believes that raw politics infected the process and it led to a miscarriage of justice. He believes his son was unfairly targeted. He said that what his political opponents have done to my son — that’s his words — is cruel, and enough is enough.

He says he believes in the justice sy- — system. And I said both things —

Q But those are the same arguments —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, but — no, no, no, but —

Q — the Trump camp was making.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, both things — well, I — I’m not going to — I can only speak for — for this president. I’m not going to speak for anybody else. Bo- — both things could be true. Right? And that’s what he says.

He says that the Department of Justice — he believes in the Department of Justice. He also believes that, you know, politics infected the process here. It infected the process. And you saw that when the deal fell apart.

And let’s not forget, the Depart- — the Department of Justice agreed on that deal. The president said if that deal had moved forward, he thought it would be a fair — a fair process. And when that deal fell apart, his political opponents took credit for it. They took credit for it and didn’t seem like they were going to stop.

Q President-elect Trump has likened this to the case of the so-called January Sixers, the people who are in prison because of their role in January 6th. What do you think of that argument? And do you think that that’s a — a fair parallel that he believes he should —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, we —

Q — pardon —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Today, I’m going to talk about the pardon. We’ve been very clear about January 6th. The president has been clear about that. He has spoken to that many times before.

What we believe in this particular case is what is unprecedented is the way that his son was singled — singled out.

And this is not the first time a president has granted a pardon before sentended — sentencing. It’s not the first time a president has pardoned a family member. And it’s not the first time a president has pardoned conduct that occurred during a certain time of — time period.

We’ve been very clear where we stand on January 6th. I don’t have anything else to add, but —

Q But, Karine, what —

Q Do you —

Q Karine, what kind of precedent is this setting going forward for American families who, you know, don’t have the president as their dad? You know, is the president taking advantage of his position by doing this? Because not everyone, like I just said, has President Biden as their dad, who can, you know, do this — do this.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, let me — let me go back to the last thing that the president said. He said, “For my entire career, I followed a simple principle: just to tell the American people the truth. They’ll be f- — fair-minded. Here’s the truth: I believe the justice system — I believe in the justice system, but I — as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice. And once I made this decision this weekend, there was a no sen- — they were no — there was no sense in delaying it further. I hope Americans will understand why a father and a president would come to this decision.”

And as I’ve stated, and I read a couple of — a couple of — a couple of quotes from folks who said, incor- — including Eric Holder, who said, “If his last name was Joe Smith, this would not have happened.” “This would not have happened.”

Q So —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: They targeted him — hold on. I’m answering this question. They targeted him because his last name was Biden.

And, again, I think the way the president ended his statement, I think, clearly states where his head — where he was at, how he feels about this process, how he feels about being truthful to the American people. And so, that’s why he put out the statement. And we encourage everybody to — to really take a look about this.

And the last line is, “I think the American people will understand a father and a president” — “why father and a president would come to this decision.”

Q Karine, the United States has more people in prison than any country on Earth. Some are facing a death penalty that the president himself said he would get rid of, has not gotten rid of.

Can we expect that other people who are in prison whose clemency petitions are sitting at the White House are going to have their cases see the same care and attention that the president gave his own son?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, as you know, when it comes to the criminal justice system and really making sure we get to a place where it’s equal and fair, this is a president has taken this very seriously, and you know that by executive actions that he took very early on in his administration.

And he understands what certain communities go through. He has been very clear about that. He has talked about that.

As it relates to pardon- — pardoning or any clemency, the president, as you know, at the end of the year, makes announcements. He’s thinking through that process very thoroughly.

There’s a process in place, obviously. And so, once — I’m not going to get ahead of — of the president on this. But you could expect more announcement, more par- — pardons and clemency at the end of — at the end of — at the end of this term.

Okay.

Q But, Karine —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q — why was it the case that both you and the president said well after the plea deal fell apart that there wouldn’t be a pardon and now there is a pardon?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Again, I’d refer you to his statement. He thought about this this weekend. This is a decision that he made this weekend. He agonized over it.

Q Were there any new details that —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, what I can tell you is what the president said himself. He made this decision this weekend. And I think — again, encourage you to read the statement and — really, just the first paragraph and what he’s watched his son go through — an unfair process, being singled out.

And let’s not forget, even in the last two th- — parts of his first paragraph here says “people are almost never brought to trial on fenoly — felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form. Those who were late paying their taxes because of serious addictions, but paid them back subsequently with interest and penalties, are typically given non-criminal resolutions. It is clear that Hunter was treated differently.”

And so, he wrestled with it this weekend, and he made a decision this weekend on how to move forward with this. And so, I’ll leave it there.

Q So, was he not wrestling with it before this weekend?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What I can le- — tell you is that the president himself said he wrestled with it, and he made this decision this weekend.

(Cross-talk.)

Q If he was st- — if he was still — if he was still wrestling with this decision — I guess, two things. Is there anything in that statement that is a new detail in the case that would be a factor in him changing his mind here?

And then, two, if he was still wrestling with this — which, I mean, clearly he was — he wa- — like, we talked to the president’s allies; he was still wrestling with this decision — then why would he declare it off the table? Why would he say, “I’m not going to do this,” if, clearly, there was an intention to do this, unless you can point me to a new detail in the case for which he changed his mind?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: He made this decision this weekend. That’s what I can tell you. He wrestled with it, and he made this decision this weekend.

It is a decision that he came to terms with and made it and shared it with all of you, obviously, by — by offering the — his son a pardon.

Q I guess what we’re struggling with is that — his statement basically is a contradiction. It says, “I believe in this system. Enough is enough.” I — I don’t see how you can have it both ways.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, I don’t think it’s a contradiction. I don’t. Two things could be true. You can believe in the Department of Justice system, and you could also believe that the process was infected politically. And that’s what the president says.

Remember, there was a deal on the table that the Department of Justice agreed on, and it fell apart. And his political opponents praised that deal falling apart.

And so, in that regard, yes, he believes in the Department of Justice and he believes in the system. But there was a — there was a political singl- — singling out of his son. And other people have said this. I just read through a bunch of folks who are — who are — who’ve been part of the justice system — if not currently, in the past — who have said — you know, I keep going back to what Eric Holder said, because he said if his last name was Joe Smith, he wouldn’t be going through this. His last name is Biden.

Q So, how do you fix that?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: And so, he went through this.

Q How do you fix that? How do you fix that problem?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, look, this is one case, because this is the son of the president. Right?

Q How do we make sure this never happens again?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, I — I’m not going to go into — into the future and — and how — and un- — and go- —

Q The president doesn’t have any systemic solutions?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Inaudible.) (Laughs.) Let me finish — let me finish my — my answer.

I just don’t have anything more beyond that. What I can speak to is this particular action that he’s took. What I can speak to is this — the decision that he made. And that’s where I’m going — that’s — that’s where I’m going to stay.

And — and I think — you know, I think that it will be very clear to the American people why he made this decision as a father, as a president. And we all saw — we all saw what was going on for the past couple of years when it came to Hunter Biden, when it came to the cases.

And so, the president took an action because of the pol- — how politically infected these cases were and what the political opponents — what his political opponents were trying to do. And if you look at the cases, there wouldn’t have — it wouldn’t have gone as far as it did. It wouldn’t have.

Go ahead.

Q You’re telling us that — you — you’ve been telling us that he has complete faith in the justice system, except for in the cases where his son was concerned, and in those cases, politics corrupted the system. But you can’t tell us any other instance in which the president believes that politics corrupted the justice system. Is this literally the only time that this has happened, or — or the — the limit of this problem, to get to Trevor’s question?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Again, “If his name had been Joe Smith, the resolution would have been, fundamentally and more fairly, a dec- — a dec- — a declination. Pardon warranted.” That’s Eric Holder. It is because, from — from what I’ve just read to you, and from what other people, other experts, people who are smarter than I have said, because he wa- — he is Hunter Biden — his last name is Biden, that there were —

Q So, this (inaudible) —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — actions — there were actions that were taken that were far and — and beyond. And so, they said pardon warranted, right? And I read a bunch of y- — I think I read almost all of them that I had for you to share about how people felt about this.

Again, “As a prosecutor, I doubt that these charges would ever have been brought against a guy named Hunter Smith. It was because he is the son of the president.” That’s state attorney for Palm Beach County, Florida, Dave Aronberg. That’s what he said.

Q So, the system works for people — the system doesn’t get corrupted by politics for people whose name is not Biden?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: You’re twisting and misrepresenting what I’m saying. I’m talking about a particular issue right now. I’m talking about the president’s action on his son, pardoning his son, Hunter Biden. And that’s what I’m going to stick to, and that’s what I’m talking about right now.

Q The statement is almost asking American families to understand why President Biden did what he did with the pardon. But for families who have a child who — or don’t have the same resources as President Biden, is that fair to ask them to understand, if they’re not sitting in this position?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Inaudible.) I mean, let’s take a step back. For the past five minutes, I’ve been talking about why there was a polit- — political infection on this particular case. It’s because it was Hunter Biden. That’s why we’re — we are where we are and why the president provided a pardon. And he believes that his son was singled out, and because — Hunter Biden was singled out because his dad is the president.

That’s what we’re talking about here, and that’s what we have been seeing for the past several years. And that’s what the president was speaking to, and that’s why the president took the action that he did.

Q How soon could the next round of, you know, pardons of — could come? For those who are waiting and have been waiting for some time and aren’t Hunter Biden, how soon could we expect to see those?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I don’t have a timeline for you. As you know, this usually happens towards the end. And so, the president is going through that process, thinking through that process. I’m not going to get ahead of him. But you can expect more announcements to come.

All right. I think we’re supposed —

Q What was the —

Q Is the president con- —

Q What was the White House counsel and clemency officer’s advice on how to handle this particular case?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I don’t have anything beyond the president making this decision. As this — when the president —

Q What advice did he get from the White House?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I’m — I’m not going to get into private conversation that the president has. The president made the decision to pardon his son. The White House informed they have to be — pardons, as you know, have to be filed with the DOJ. The White House informed the DOJ. They filed it with the DOJ, and that’s how the process went.

I’m not getting into a private conversation. This is a decision that the president made himself. Again, he wrestled with it. He made the decision this weekend, and we’ve laid out pretty clearly of what he was thinking. His statement lays out pretty clearly.

He believes in the Department of Justice, but he also believes that his son was singled out politically. And so, he made — he made this decision.

Guys, all right. Thanks, everybody.

Q Do you have time for another topic?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What’s the other topic? (Laughs.)

Q So, there is — there is a — there’s a DNC race going on right now —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q — to be the new chair of the — the party. What direction does Biden want to see the party go after he steps off the stage?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I’m not going to weigh in on — on the — on the DNC chair election. Not something that I’m going to do from here.

What I will say is the president certainly — what he has seen the 52 years of his career — what you have seen from him is a — is someone who has always put the American people first when it comes to issues that matter to them — right? — when it comes to the economy, when it comes to health care, when it comes to where we stand on the global stage, as we’re doing on our way — as we’re — as you’re all going to see in the next 24, 40 hou- — 48 hours in Angola and as you have seen many times before when he’s traveled.

And the president is very proud of what he’s been able to do on behalf of the American people, whether it’s beating Big Pharma, whether it’s getting ou- — us out of a pandemic and making sure that schools were open, businesses were back open, and that we were able to — to get out of this in a way that was comprehensive, in a way that didn’t leave any communities behind.

And so, the president is going to continue to focus on that: What else can we do to lower costs? What else can we do to make Americans’ lives better? He wants us to run through the tape. So, every day — we have 50 days left. Every day is going to be an important day, just like the next, certainly, 48 hours are going to be.

You saw what the president did on the South Lawn with the first lady, talking about World AIDS Day, making — making announcements there. This is what the president cares about: How do we make lives better? And he hopes that — he hopes, you know, that’s continue — we continue to do that as a party.

As it relates to, certainly, the chairs, I — I can’t weigh in on that or step in — into that — into — into that. But I think what you have seen from the last four years, what you have seen — the president’s leadership in the last 52 years, I think, is a clear indicator at how he sees his role as a — as a leader of this party and how he sees the future of this country.

And he always talks about possibilities, and certainly that’s something that he continues to believe, is that — how important that is.

Q What is your experience of the transition? Have you met with the next team that’s coming in? What tangible changes do you think we’ll see at the White House?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, that’s up to them. You know? What we —

Q Have they come in already and had meetings with you?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What — what I can say is that we want an efficient, effective transition of power. We want it certainly to be peaceful, ri- — right? — as the president, I think, showed himself when he — when he invited President-elect Trump to — to the White House. You saw them sit together in — in the Oval Office, and that is something that President Biden wanted to —

Q But have there been more lower-level meetings?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — what I can say is we’ve been in touch with the Trump transition team. Those conversations continue. We are going to make this as smooth as possible. That’s what we want. And certainly, that’s what we will continue to do.

And teams — to your question, the teams have been talking. And I don’t have anything beyond that.

Q Is the president planning on having a press conference during this trip?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I don’t have a press conference to announce for this trip, but I’m pretty sure and — you know, the president likes to engage with you all, and I’m — I’m sure he’ll — he’ll continue to do that.

Thanks, everybody.

Q Thanks, Karine.

3:30 P.M. CVT

The post Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby En Route Luanda, Angola appeared first on The White House.

Aboard Air Force One
En Route Luanda, Angola

2:45 P.M. CVT

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, just one note at the top before I hand it over. I know you’ve all seen the president’s statement on the pardon he signed for his son, Hunter. The president’s statement was quite comprehensive, but I’ll take your questions on this after my NSC colleague, Admiral John Kirby, previews the president’s trip to Angola and takes your question on foreign policy news of the day. And after — after that, we’ll — we’ll continue.

Go ahead, Admiral.

MR. KIRBY: Thanks, Karine.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Sure.

MR. KIRBY: Just two things.

One, I think you may have seen the statement issued by the first lady and the president following reports of the death of Omer Neutra. This is a young, 21-year-old Israeli soldier who was apparently killed on — or during the 7th of October attacks, and only now have the Israelis been able to confirm his death. So, it’s a terrible, devastating loss for the family. Our thoughts and prayers go out to them. Our condolences go out to them.

As you may remember, the — they were two of the parents that the president had a chance to — to see personally in the Oval Office just about a month ago.

So, terrible news and wanted to pass that along. You’ll see that condolence letter.

Now, if I could just jump real quick to what we’re doing here on the trip. We’re obviously en — en route to Luanda right now, where President Biden will have a couple of days of several important meetings and discussions.

It’s a historic visit, not just because he’s — it’s the first time a U.S. president has visited Angola, but because it’s really emblematic of President Biden’s priority to strengthen global alliances and partnerships and, really, of our strategic approach to — when it comes to U.S.-Africa policy.

We have absolutely transformed this relationship, working on a range of critical issues together. Angola has been a strategic partner in working to improve security in Eastern DRC, and it’s also helped to advance the Lobito trans-Africa corridor, which, when complete, will connect Africa from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean, making global supply chains more resilient, creating more economic opportunities for communities across the continent and the United States and, quite frankly, around the world too.

The Lobito Corridor epitomizes the model of U.S. international investment and engagement that the president has championed through his signature initiative: the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment — or “PGI,” as you know it.

Since President Biden and G7 leaders launched PGI back in ‘22, the United States has mobilized more than $80 billion in investments through federal financing, grants, and leveraged private-sector investments.

In the Lobito Corridor alone, the United States has committed some $3 billion, and we’re just one member. The EU, the Africa Finance Corporation have all chipped in to many, many mil- — many millions mo- — of dollars more.

You can expect that the president will discuss all of these and other important issues when he meets with President Lourenço in Luanda later tomorrow.

And then, also tomorrow, he’s going to get a chance to deliver some remarks that both acknowledges the horrific history of slavery that has connected our two nations but also looks forward to a future predicated on a shared vision that benefits both our peoples.

He’ll also have the chance to meet separately with members of congress, members of the Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa, and members of the Advisory Council on Africa Diaspora Engagement, which he established during the Africa Leaders’ Summit December of ‘22.

And then, as we’re looking forward, we see this trans-Africa — Lobito trans-Africa corridor — that project as a real game changer for U.S. engagement in Africa. And that’s why, on Wednesday, he’s going to have a chance to go see for himself, talk to leaders of the countries situated along that corridor — Angola, the DRC, Zambia, Tanzania. And during those conversations, he’ll underscore his vision for stronger U.S.-Africa relationships and greater opportunities.

And I think, with that, I can stop.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Will.

Q Okay. I’ve got two on the pardon.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, no, no, no. Can you stick to foreign policy? If not, we’ll —

Q All right. I’ll do one — one there.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: If not, we’ll go to somebody else.

Q But I don’t want to run out of time.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yep.

Q On Syria, Jake suggested on Sunday that this suggests that — that the — the rebel offensive meant that maybe Syrian allies were distracted, which, you know, might not be such a terrible thing for U.S. foreign policy. But it also seems like there might be a chance that things are really destabilized, and there might be a big- — a bigger chance for, like, a global conflict.

MR. KIRBY: Yeah. We’re watching this really closely. And it’s too soon to know how this is all going to shake out.

As Jake said, it clearly is — it demonstrates to us that — that Assad’s biggest backers — Hezbollah, Iran, Russia — they’re all distracted and, quite frankly, we believe they’re weakened.

Now, whether that is the connective tissue here that means there’s going to be a big change in Syria, we just don’t know.

As — as Jake also pointed out, the group that’s moving in on Aleppo is a designated terrorist group by the United States. So, these are not — these are not good folks.

So, we’re — we’re going to watch this closely, but it’s — it’s really too soon to know what kind of impact it’s going to have across the country —

Q John, do you have any reaction —

MR. KIRBY: — or in the region.

Q John, do you have any reaction to some of the comments by Ukraine’s Zelenskyy over the past couple of days, kind of hinting at a phase post this hot stage of the war, talking about the idea of NATO membership in exchange for giving up the territory that they’ve already lost to — to Russia, diplomatic solutions inst- — to retaking some territory? Does any of that make sense? And — and are we getting closer to the end of this conflict?

MR. KIRBY: You know, Trevor, since the very beginning, we’ve made — we’ve made very, very clear that how — if and however this war ends, it’s got to end in a way that is commensurate with the — the aspirations of the Ukrainian people and, quite frankly, with President Zelenskyy and the policies that — and — and pursuits that he is — that he’s after. He gets to decide if and when he’s ready to negotiate, and he gets to decide what, if anything, he’s willing to negotiate.

Our job has been and will continue to be throughout the rest of this administration making sure that we’re putting him and his army in the best position of strength we possibly can so that when negotiations begin, he — he has leverage, he has some — some power at the table. And that’s what we’re focused on.

Q And one more. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, the president was seen exiting a bookshop with a copy of a book by a Columbia historian, Rashid Khalidi, who has referred to the Palestinian conflict essentially as being an ethnic cleansing operation. Why did the president choose to read that book at this point in his presidency?

MR. KIRBY: Look, when you say something like that, it reminds me of what Mark Twain said, that the — the — a man who refuses to read good books has no advantage over a man who cannot or won’t read those books.

I can’t speak to why the president made that particular purchase. Wasn’t with him. Haven’t had a chance to ask him. But he reads broadly, and he’s fascinated by history and the lessons of history and where that can take us going forward.

So, it doesn’t surprise me that he would go into a bookstore and get a book of history, particularly about the Middle East, to try to imbibe and to try to keep learning.

I mean, he really does believe in speaking, learning, thinking broadly, and that’s what that tells me.

Q And he was — he was actually reading it? He’s actually reading it?

MR. KIRBY: I don’t — I don’t know.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Anita.

Q Can we talk about Angola and the security cooperation aspect of this trip? What are some of the priorities for this administration? What are the areas that Angola has identified?

MR. KIRBY: I mean, I me- — I mentioned a big one, which is getting this Lobito Corridor and this — this rail corridor, economic corridor completed. nd it’s going to take years, but there’s already been a lot of work went into it.

And it’s going to l- — reduce, literally by days, the amount of time that it takes to move crops and goods from one side of the continent to the — to the other. It’s going to create incredible economic opportunities here on the continent, and it will help also continue to drive towards this clean energy transition that — that he knows President Lourenço is very interested in.

Q So, the average Angolan is, like, 19 years old. They don’t relate to, like, this cold war sort of, balance of power struggle on the continent that we’re seeing with China and the U.S. And, likewise, this colonial narrative of exporting raw materials from the continent doesn’t resonate with them. What are you offering to them — young Angolans?

MR. KIRBY: I’d say there is no cold war on the continent. We’re not asking countries to choose between us and Russia and China. We’re simply looking for reliable, sustainable, verifiable investment opportunities that the people of Angola and the people of the continent can rely on, because too many countries have relied on spotty investment opportunities and are now racked by debt.

And what the president is trying to put forward with the — with the other leaders of the G7 is a series of programs and opportunities that allow them to build out their infrastructure, improve their economic livelihoods — and the livelihoods of those young people, by the way; give them opportunities to rise and grow and develop without having to be racked by debt.

Q The trip is coming towards the end of President Biden’s administration. You touched on China and Russia. But do you think this trip is enough to, I guess, establish that
level of, you know, interest that the U.S. has in the African continent? Like, the trip is coming so late towards the end, so is this essentially, you know, showing African nations that the U.S., really, you know, is serious about committing to —

MR. KIRBY: I mean, since — since we launched the summit — the African Leaders Summit in ‘22, there have been
more than 20 Cabinet-level officials that have visited the continent. The president will be, obviously, the last of the administration to do that, but he has been preceded by a whole heck of a lot of travel — travel which, by the way — visits, which, by the way, delivered some 40-million-plus dollars of investment and — and assistance into Africa.

So, I — I just kind of push back on the premise that this is sort of a Johnny-come-lately trip at the — at the very end. This is something he’s been focused on since he became president of the United States, and he’s grateful for the opportunity to round out his time as president with a — with a trip to Angola.

Q Can you — are you able to touch on what some of the deliverables might be for President Biden this trip? Are you able to kind of highlight what we can expect in terms of, I don’t know, investment numbers? Is there anything you can share on that?

MR. KIRBY: I’m not going to get ahead of him and his announcement. You’ll hear more from him on this tomorrow. But I think you’ll hear from him — you’ll hear him talk about additional U.S. commitments to the Lobito Corridor, additional U.S. commitments to global health, additional U.S. commitments to clean energy transition and climate programs here, as well as people-to-people exchanges.

I mean, I — he’ll have a whole raft of things — range of things that he will be speaking to about in terms of current and future U.S. commitment to the continent.

Q John, with the limited amount of time that you have left in office at this point, can you give an assessment of the likelihood of a ceasefire deal in Gaza and Israel?

MR. KIRBY: We’re working on it every single day. And I wish I could give you odds. I can’t do that. But I can tell you, without a doubt, 100 percent of our energy and effort is being put to try to getting this. And it’s really — the — the main stumbling block continues to be Hamas.

And we believe that as they look at the world right now, they ought to see just how isolated and weakened they are. Iran is no longer there for them. Hezbollah is no longer there for them. You know, the — the Houthis aren’t doing anything materially to support what they’re trying to do. They’ve lost their leader, Mr. Sinwar. It’s time for Hamas to come to the table. And we’re going to keep — we’re going to keep doing that.

We’re working with ta- — Qatar, Egypt, Turkey. Even as we speak, there are active conversations that our team is having with them to see if we can get this on the table. There’s no reason why we — we can’t do it. We just have to — we just have to bring it home.

Q John, on Lebanon. Is it concerning to you that Israel has continued to strike Lebanon even after the ceasefire deal was agreed to? Does that raise any concerns about the deal coming to fruition?

MR. KIRBY: So, we are seeing some sporadic strikes in the last few days. This was expected. This is why — I mean, you’re talking about a war that’s been raging now for, actually, many years, if you think about it — certainly, since October 7th. We went from hundreds of rocket attacks to basically zero by Hezbollah and dozens of air strikes by Israel to one or two per day. So, there’s been a dramatic reduction in the violence.

We did put in place a mechanism to actually work out and deconflict and to try to stop these attacks. That mechanism is in — in full force and is working.

There’s a U.S. Army general who is basing himself out of the embassy in Beirut as part of this mechanism process, as we announced that we would do. And that’s — that’s ongoing.

Q What is that mechanism? Can you expand on what that is?

MR. KIRBY: Yeah, we have a — in Amos, we have a civilian and, in the military, we have a one-star general who are sort of operating as our connective tissue to the parties to try to monitor and keep the ceasefire implemented. And that deconfliction process, that system is in place.

So, again, largely speaking — sorry —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, no. It’s okay.

MR. KIRBY: Largely speaking, though, the ceasefire is — is holding.

Q I’ll continue on — on the cease- — or, on Lebanon. So, as far — other than the fact that Hezbollah is severely weakened now, what makes this ceasefire different in terms of its chances of succeeding compared to all the other previous Lebanon ceasefires?

MR. KIRBY: Well, again, we believe we have a mechanism in place, a system in place to monitor it and to implement that. And, again, so far, it largely is doing that.

Q Has it stopped any Israeli strikes?

MR. KIRBY: There have been sporadic strikes. No question about it. As the president said when he announced it, Israel has the right — inherent right of self-defense, so I’ll let them speak to what they’re targeting.

But we’ve gone from, you know, dozens of strikes, you know, down to one a day, maybe two a day. That’s a tremen- — tremendous reduction, and we’re going to keep trying to see what we can do to — to get it down to zero so that both sides are fully implementing it.

But this is a — this is the — only a — what? — a week or so old. So, there’s a lot more work to do.

Q Is that — is that due to the mechanism working? As in, is the U.S., through this mechanism, restraining Israel?

MR. KIRBY: I think it’s part — it’s part — it’s part and parcel of the mechanism working, but also the leaders on both sides are committed to this. They are in a — both — both sides in a different place after months and months of going after one another, and we think they both are, you know, still committed to this.

Q Can I ask one about Lobito? On the Lobito Corridor project. Obviously, Trump has a very different foreign policy view from this administration, so how — how Trump-proof is this project, this investment? And, you know, could — could he come in and, you know, if this doesn’t work with his “America First” vision — he obviously thinks that there is a cold war ongoing on the continent, so if this doesn’t jive with that, could — could he — could we see this whole thing fall apart?

MR. KIRBY: I’ll let President Trump and his team speak for what they will or won’t do once they get into office.

We are still in office. We still have 50 days. This is a — a key, major development not just for the United States and our foreign policy goals in Africa but for Africans, for, you know, the countries across the continent, particularly those involved in the — in the corridor itself, those four countries. And it will bring real opportunity to them.

So, our sense is — and you’ll see this for yourself when you all go there the day after tomorrow — that the leaders of those four countries are absolutely dedicated to seeing this through, because they see the value to their young people, to their population, to their economies. And that’s what we’re really trying to do, is drive a lasting investment opportunity that truly has a generational effect on — on prosperity on the continent.

Q So, this can and will go forward — sorry — witho- — without U.S. investment if U.S. investment is pulled?

MR. KIRBY: I can’t speak for those leaders and what they will do or won’t do, and I certainly don’t want to hy- — hypothesize about what President Trump might or might not do.

It’s our fervent hope that as the new team comes in and takes a look at this that they see the value too, that they see how it will help drive a more secure, more prosperous, more economically stable continent.

Q Speaking of there being only one president at a time, we saw that Canada’s premier met with Donald Trump. Did he speak to President Biden? Has Mexico’s president engaged with President Biden over this debate over tariffs? And do you feel that’s appropriate?

MR. KIRBY: I’m — I’m not aware of any follow-on conversations that President Biden had with Prime Minister Trudeau since his meeting with — with President-elect Tr- — Trump on this. And is it appropriate for foreign leaders to speak to an incoming president-elect? Yeah, of course it is.

Okay.

Q Thanks, John.

MR. KIRBY: All right. Over to you.

Q Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right. Okay. Go ahead, Will. I know you had two.

Q Okay. Thank you. Sorry about that.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. No, no. It’s okay. I just wanted to —

Q So, two questions.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — to give the Admiral and NSC their time.

Q Fair enough. Fair enough.

Topic of the day: You — you have said repeatedly yourself since the election, the president has said for months no pardon was coming. I just — you know, I wanted to ask you: Could those statements now be seen as lies from the American people? Is there really a credibility issue here, given now this announcement?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: First of all, one of the things that the president always believes is to be truthful to the American people. That is something that he always truly believes.

And if you see the end of his — I’m — I assume that you’ve read his — his statement — and you look at the end of that statement, and he actually says that in the first line in the last paragraph and — and respects the thinking and how the American people will actually see this in his decision-making.

And I would encourage everyone to read in full the president’s statement. I think he lays out his thought process. He lays out how he came to this decision. He came to this decision this weekend. So, let’s be very clear about that.

He says it himself. It’s in his voice. He said he came to this decision this weekend, and he said he wrestled with this and — because he believes in the justice system, but he also believes that the (inaudible) politics infected the process and led to a — a miscarriage of justice. This is his words. I’m just repeating what the president said.

He also said that no reasonable person, if you are looking at this in a good-faith way, if you are looking at the facts of Hunter’s cases and can reach — you can’t reach any other conclusion, right? And what we have seen — and not just us; there’s other people who have commented on the president’s actions in the last 24 hours — I’ve lost track of time — and could see that Hunter was si- — singled out and — because he — his last name was Biden, because he was the president’s son. That’s what we saw.

And so, the president believed enough is enough, and the president took action. And he also believes that they tried to break his son in order to break him. That’s what we saw.

And this — again, I am just repeating what the president said. I think the statement in full really lays out his thought process. He said that he came to this decision this weekend, and — and he wrestled with it. It was not — it wasn’t an easy decision to make.

Q But, Karine —

(Cross-talk.)

Q So, when — when he says —

Q One — one other —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Laughs.) Okay.

Q Sorry. Just a re- — just real quick on that. The — the two of them were together this weekend. Did the president and Hunter discuss this possibility? Did they talk about this happening?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, what I can say is he made this decision hi- — this weekend. He made it himself. I don’t have anything else to discuss beyond that.

Q Karine —

Q Do you know if he talked about it with Hunter?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I just don’t have anything to discuss. I — I’ve been pretty consistent in — in not talking about private conversations that the — he’s had with his family. I just don’t have anything to say besides the president made this decision this weekend, as he said in his statement, and he made this deci- — this decision himself. Once he made s- — this desic- — this decision, he shared it with his senior
staff.

Go ahead.

Q What changed, though? What ch- — the — the reasons y- — he laid out in his statement, if we assume those to be correct, that’s been correct. The — those are not changes that occurred this weekend. So, what changed his mind this weekend?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, again, it’s in — it’s in his statement. He wrestled with it. He thought about it. And he tr- — he believed and what he saw was that his son was singled out. And so, he made the decision. And once he made the decision, which was this weekend, he decided to move forward with it and not to — not to wait.

And, you know, I think he truly believed enough is enough. This is — this is — we have seen, in last five years or so, the president’s political opponents say this. Not even — I mean, this is not the president saying it; they said it themselves. They were going after Hunter Biden.

Q So —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: And so, he made this decision.

Q So, Karine, when the — when the president says that — that the justice system is “infected” with politics, how deep is the rot? And how much of the blame does the president take on himself for the fact that his — his own Justice Department, his appointees, have allowed to — have — have allowed it to get this bad?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Let me just — le- — and I’m going to get to your answers, but I do want to just share a couple of things from — for example, former Attorney General Eric Holder said, “No U.S. attorney would have charged this case given the underlying facts. After a five-year investigation, the facts as discovered only made that clear. Had his name been Joe Smith, the resolution would have been fundamentally and more fairly a decl- — a declination. Pardon warranted.”

Former U.S. attorney to the Eastern District of Michigan, Barbara McQuade, said, “Pardon of Hunter Biden is the best interest of justice. Based on the facts, most federal prosecutors would have declined to charge him. The botched mis- — misdemeanor guilty plea and sentence of the diversion were a tell that the special counsel had the same assessment.”

One more. Former deputy chief of — of the Criminal Division Southern District of New York said, “As SDNY Criminal Division deputy chief, I was responsible for approving charges and non-prosecution requests. I wouldn’t have approved Hunter Biden’s tax or gun cases. If Hunter’s last name wasn’t Biden, I don’t believe he would have ch- — he would have been charged. His pardon is justified.”

And the president says it — I’m going to pull out his statement — to your — to your question. And this — this plays into what I just read with the SDNY deputy chief, which is, look, there was a deal on the table — “a carefully negotiated plea deal, agreed to by the Department of Justice, unraveled in the courtroom, with a number” — this is the president’s voice — “with a number of my political opponents in Congress taking credit for bringing political pressure on the process. Had the plea deal held, it would have been a fair, reasonable resolution of Hunter’s cases.” This is the president saying this.

Q Yeah, he’s saying his own Justice Department is broken, Karine.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: He believe- — he believes — he’s — he believes in the Justice Department. He believes that there was —

Q After saying all of that?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: He believes —

Q He believes in the Justice Department?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: This is his words. He said this. This is the president saying this.

Q He just said it’s “infected” with politics.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — he believes — “I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively and unfair[ly] prosecuted.”

Q So, how deep is the rot?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I’m not —

Q How many selective —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, I — I —

Q — prosecutions are there at the DOJ?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What I — what I can speak to — what I can speak to is this particular case, which is Hunter Biden, who has the last name of the president, who, I just said, there were political opponents who were very clear and very vocal about going after his son. And I just laid out — and there’s more — multiple people who are part of that — who are part of that system — right? — who have either worked in the justice system or currently do so, and they have been very clear on how they feel about this particular case — the cases against Hunter Biden.

Q So, can other — can other —

Q But, Karine —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I don’t —

Q — the judge was also clear in this case. The judge said it wasn’t political pressure when it came to the plea deal. They said this was a process issue, that you basically had two agreements in one and that you can’t have side deal.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yep.

Q There were basic questioning —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q — in this case that both lawyers could not really answer the questions of.

So, the president, in his statement, is he not undermining the judge and a judicial system that he promised would be independent? The judge in this case did not say —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Hold on.

Q — it was political pressure.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: And I — and I just talked about the SDNI [SDNY] Criminal Division deputy chief who said he was responsible for th- — for approving the charges and not prosecuting requests. I just also quoted him and what he said, right?

And there are others who have said — former White House counsel said, “If — if I were his White House counsel, I would encourage him to pardon his son. The clemency power has few limitations and certainly would extend to a Hunter Biden — Hunter Biden pardon.”

Former Watergate Assistant Special Prosecutor Jill Weinberg: “This was one of those cases that called out for clemency. Hunter Biden, first of all, would not ever be prosecuted for the gun crime but for his last name. Hunter has now been sober for many years, and this — and this is a time when it is really appropriate to grant a clemency.”

Look —

Q Karine —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — the president — wait. Wait. Two things could be true. The president does believe in the justice s- — system and — and the Department of Justice, and he also believes that his son was singled out politically. And this is what we saw over and over and over again over the last couple of years.

And when his deal — that deal that — that fell apart, which the president said in his statement he thought would have been fair — the president said this — that the Desh- — the Department of Justice agreed with — he said if that had gone through, he believed it would have been fair. When that fell apart, his own political opponents just continued to revel in it.

And one of the reasons the president did the pardon is because they didn’t seem like — his political po- — opponents would let go of it. It didn’t seem like they would move on.

Q Is —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: And so, this is why this president took this action.

Q But is it the same argument —

Q Is the president seeking —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay, guys. Okay.

Q Karine —

Q Is the president seeking the resignation of the attorney general?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No.

(Inaudible.)

Q Is — do you think this would have happened if Harris hadn’t lost the election?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, I’m not going to — I’m not going to get into — into the election. It is a no. I can answer that. It is a no.

And what I can say —

Q It’s a no, this would not have happened if Harris hadn’t lost the election?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Oh, would — what would have not happened?

Q The pardon would not have happened —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Oh, I’m not —

Q — if Harris hadn’t lost the election?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, it’s hap- — what I can speak to — where we are today. And so, I can’t speak to hypotheticals here.

Where we are today: The president made this decision over the weekend. He thought about it. He wrestled with it. And for him, he made this decision because he believed his son was being politically singled out.

Q But we’re wondering what changed his mind. And obviously, the election — in the statement he refers to “enough is enough.” He thinks that there could be further — it sounds like he thinks there could be further prosecution of Hunter under a Trump administration.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: He didn’t — he didn’t believe that they would let up. Right? He didn’t think that they would — they would continue to go after his son. That’s what he believed.

And, look, I’m not going to get into hypotheticals, to the original part of your question. The president wrestled with this decision. He made this decision this weekend. And he decided to move forward with pardoning his son.

Q But these systematic —

Q So, does the president believe now — does the president believe now and agree with President-elect Trump that the justice system has been weaponized for political purposes and that it needs r- — root — root and branch reform?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No. Read the president’s statement. Seriously, read the pr- — the president’s statement. He said he believes in the Department of Justice. He does. He says it in his statement.

He believes — he also believes that raw politics infected the process and it led to a miscarriage of justice. He believes his son was unfairly targeted. He said that what his political opponents have done to my son — that’s his words — is cruel, and enough is enough.

He says he believes in the justice sy- — system. And I said both things —

Q But those are the same arguments —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, but — no, no, no, but —

Q — the Trump camp was making.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, both things — well, I — I’m not going to — I can only speak for — for this president. I’m not going to speak for anybody else. Bo- — both things could be true. Right? And that’s what he says.

He says that the Department of Justice — he believes in the Department of Justice. He also believes that, you know, politics infected the process here. It infected the process. And you saw that when the deal fell apart.

And let’s not forget, the Depart- — the Department of Justice agreed on that deal. The president said if that deal had moved forward, he thought it would be a fair — a fair process. And when that deal fell apart, his political opponents took credit for it. They took credit for it and didn’t seem like they were going to stop.

Q President-elect Trump has likened this to the case of the so-called January Sixers, the people who are in prison because of their role in January 6th. What do you think of that argument? And do you think that that’s a — a fair parallel that he believes he should —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, we —

Q — pardon —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Today, I’m going to talk about the pardon. We’ve been very clear about January 6th. The president has been clear about that. He has spoken to that many times before.

What we believe in this particular case is what is unprecedented is the way that his son was singled — singled out.

And this is not the first time a president has granted a pardon before sentended — sentencing. It’s not the first time a president has pardoned a family member. And it’s not the first time a president has pardoned conduct that occurred during a certain time of — time period.

We’ve been very clear where we stand on January 6th. I don’t have anything else to add, but —

Q But, Karine, what —

Q Do you —

Q Karine, what kind of precedent is this setting going forward for American families who, you know, don’t have the president as their dad? You know, is the president taking advantage of his position by doing this? Because not everyone, like I just said, has President Biden as their dad, who can, you know, do this — do this.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, let me — let me go back to the last thing that the president said. He said, “For my entire career, I followed a simple principle: just to tell the American people the truth. They’ll be f- — fair-minded. Here’s the truth: I believe the justice system — I believe in the justice system, but I — as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice. And once I made this decision this weekend, there was a no sen- — they were no — there was no sense in delaying it further. I hope Americans will understand why a father and a president would come to this decision.”

And as I’ve stated, and I read a couple of — a couple of — a couple of quotes from folks who said, incor- — including Eric Holder, who said, “If his last name was Joe Smith, this would not have happened.” “This would not have happened.”

Q So —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: They targeted him — hold on. I’m answering this question. They targeted him because his last name was Biden.

And, again, I think the way the president ended his statement, I think, clearly states where his head — where he was at, how he feels about this process, how he feels about being truthful to the American people. And so, that’s why he put out the statement. And we encourage everybody to — to really take a look about this.

And the last line is, “I think the American people will understand a father and a president” — “why father and a president would come to this decision.”

Q Karine, the United States has more people in prison than any country on Earth. Some are facing a death penalty that the president himself said he would get rid of, has not gotten rid of.

Can we expect that other people who are in prison whose clemency petitions are sitting at the White House are going to have their cases see the same care and attention that the president gave his own son?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, as you know, when it comes to the criminal justice system and really making sure we get to a place where it’s equal and fair, this is a president has taken this very seriously, and you know that by executive actions that he took very early on in his administration.

And he understands what certain communities go through. He has been very clear about that. He has talked about that.

As it relates to pardon- — pardoning or any clemency, the president, as you know, at the end of the year, makes announcements. He’s thinking through that process very thoroughly.

There’s a process in place, obviously. And so, once — I’m not going to get ahead of — of the president on this. But you could expect more announcement, more par- — pardons and clemency at the end of — at the end of — at the end of this term.

Okay.

Q But, Karine —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q — why was it the case that both you and the president said well after the plea deal fell apart that there wouldn’t be a pardon and now there is a pardon?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Again, I’d refer you to his statement. He thought about this this weekend. This is a decision that he made this weekend. He agonized over it.

Q Were there any new details that —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, what I can tell you is what the president said himself. He made this decision this weekend. And I think — again, encourage you to read the statement and — really, just the first paragraph and what he’s watched his son go through — an unfair process, being singled out.

And let’s not forget, even in the last two th- — parts of his first paragraph here says “people are almost never brought to trial on fenoly — felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form. Those who were late paying their taxes because of serious addictions, but paid them back subsequently with interest and penalties, are typically given non-criminal resolutions. It is clear that Hunter was treated differently.”

And so, he wrestled with it this weekend, and he made a decision this weekend on how to move forward with this. And so, I’ll leave it there.

Q So, was he not wrestling with it before this weekend?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What I can le- — tell you is that the president himself said he wrestled with it, and he made this decision this weekend.

(Cross-talk.)

Q If he was st- — if he was still — if he was still wrestling with this decision — I guess, two things. Is there anything in that statement that is a new detail in the case that would be a factor in him changing his mind here?

And then, two, if he was still wrestling with this — which, I mean, clearly he was — he wa- — like, we talked to the president’s allies; he was still wrestling with this decision — then why would he declare it off the table? Why would he say, “I’m not going to do this,” if, clearly, there was an intention to do this, unless you can point me to a new detail in the case for which he changed his mind?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: He made this decision this weekend. That’s what I can tell you. He wrestled with it, and he made this decision this weekend.

It is a decision that he came to terms with and made it and shared it with all of you, obviously, by — by offering the — his son a pardon.

Q I guess what we’re struggling with is that — his statement basically is a contradiction. It says, “I believe in this system. Enough is enough.” I — I don’t see how you can have it both ways.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, I don’t think it’s a contradiction. I don’t. Two things could be true. You can believe in the Department of Justice system, and you could also believe that the process was infected politically. And that’s what the president says.

Remember, there was a deal on the table that the Department of Justice agreed on, and it fell apart. And his political opponents praised that deal falling apart.

And so, in that regard, yes, he believes in the Department of Justice and he believes in the system. But there was a — there was a political singl- — singling out of his son. And other people have said this. I just read through a bunch of folks who are — who are — who’ve been part of the justice system — if not currently, in the past — who have said — you know, I keep going back to what Eric Holder said, because he said if his last name was Joe Smith, he wouldn’t be going through this. His last name is Biden.

Q So, how do you fix that?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: And so, he went through this.

Q How do you fix that? How do you fix that problem?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, look, this is one case, because this is the son of the president. Right?

Q How do we make sure this never happens again?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, I — I’m not going to go into — into the future and — and how — and un- — and go- —

Q The president doesn’t have any systemic solutions?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Inaudible.) (Laughs.) Let me finish — let me finish my — my answer.

I just don’t have anything more beyond that. What I can speak to is this particular action that he’s took. What I can speak to is this — the decision that he made. And that’s where I’m going — that’s — that’s where I’m going to stay.

And — and I think — you know, I think that it will be very clear to the American people why he made this decision as a father, as a president. And we all saw — we all saw what was going on for the past couple of years when it came to Hunter Biden, when it came to the cases.

And so, the president took an action because of the pol- — how politically infected these cases were and what the political opponents — what his political opponents were trying to do. And if you look at the cases, there wouldn’t have — it wouldn’t have gone as far as it did. It wouldn’t have.

Go ahead.

Q You’re telling us that — you — you’ve been telling us that he has complete faith in the justice system, except for in the cases where his son was concerned, and in those cases, politics corrupted the system. But you can’t tell us any other instance in which the president believes that politics corrupted the justice system. Is this literally the only time that this has happened, or — or the — the limit of this problem, to get to Trevor’s question?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Again, “If his name had been Joe Smith, the resolution would have been, fundamentally and more fairly, a dec- — a dec- — a declination. Pardon warranted.” That’s Eric Holder. It is because, from — from what I’ve just read to you, and from what other people, other experts, people who are smarter than I have said, because he wa- — he is Hunter Biden — his last name is Biden, that there were —

Q So, this (inaudible) —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — actions — there were actions that were taken that were far and — and beyond. And so, they said pardon warranted, right? And I read a bunch of y- — I think I read almost all of them that I had for you to share about how people felt about this.

Again, “As a prosecutor, I doubt that these charges would ever have been brought against a guy named Hunter Smith. It was because he is the son of the president.” That’s state attorney for Palm Beach County, Florida, Dave Aronberg. That’s what he said.

Q So, the system works for people — the system doesn’t get corrupted by politics for people whose name is not Biden?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: You’re twisting and misrepresenting what I’m saying. I’m talking about a particular issue right now. I’m talking about the president’s action on his son, pardoning his son, Hunter Biden. And that’s what I’m going to stick to, and that’s what I’m talking about right now.

Q The statement is almost asking American families to understand why President Biden did what he did with the pardon. But for families who have a child who — or don’t have the same resources as President Biden, is that fair to ask them to understand, if they’re not sitting in this position?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Inaudible.) I mean, let’s take a step back. For the past five minutes, I’ve been talking about why there was a polit- — political infection on this particular case. It’s because it was Hunter Biden. That’s why we’re — we are where we are and why the president provided a pardon. And he believes that his son was singled out, and because — Hunter Biden was singled out because his dad is the president.

That’s what we’re talking about here, and that’s what we have been seeing for the past several years. And that’s what the president was speaking to, and that’s why the president took the action that he did.

Q How soon could the next round of, you know, pardons of — could come? For those who are waiting and have been waiting for some time and aren’t Hunter Biden, how soon could we expect to see those?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I don’t have a timeline for you. As you know, this usually happens towards the end. And so, the president is going through that process, thinking through that process. I’m not going to get ahead of him. But you can expect more announcements to come.

All right. I think we’re supposed —

Q What was the —

Q Is the president con- —

Q What was the White House counsel and clemency officer’s advice on how to handle this particular case?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I don’t have anything beyond the president making this decision. As this — when the president —

Q What advice did he get from the White House?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I’m — I’m not going to get into private conversation that the president has. The president made the decision to pardon his son. The White House informed they have to be — pardons, as you know, have to be filed with the DOJ. The White House informed the DOJ. They filed it with the DOJ, and that’s how the process went.

I’m not getting into a private conversation. This is a decision that the president made himself. Again, he wrestled with it. He made the decision this weekend, and we’ve laid out pretty clearly of what he was thinking. His statement lays out pretty clearly.

He believes in the Department of Justice, but he also believes that his son was singled out politically. And so, he made — he made this decision.

Guys, all right. Thanks, everybody.

Q Do you have time for another topic?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What’s the other topic? (Laughs.)

Q So, there is — there is a — there’s a DNC race going on right now —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q — to be the new chair of the — the party. What direction does Biden want to see the party go after he steps off the stage?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I’m not going to weigh in on — on the — on the DNC chair election. Not something that I’m going to do from here.

What I will say is the president certainly — what he has seen the 52 years of his career — what you have seen from him is a — is someone who has always put the American people first when it comes to issues that matter to them — right? — when it comes to the economy, when it comes to health care, when it comes to where we stand on the global stage, as we’re doing on our way — as we’re — as you’re all going to see in the next 24, 40 hou- — 48 hours in Angola and as you have seen many times before when he’s traveled.

And the president is very proud of what he’s been able to do on behalf of the American people, whether it’s beating Big Pharma, whether it’s getting ou- — us out of a pandemic and making sure that schools were open, businesses were back open, and that we were able to — to get out of this in a way that was comprehensive, in a way that didn’t leave any communities behind.

And so, the president is going to continue to focus on that: What else can we do to lower costs? What else can we do to make Americans’ lives better? He wants us to run through the tape. So, every day — we have 50 days left. Every day is going to be an important day, just like the next, certainly, 48 hours are going to be.

You saw what the president did on the South Lawn with the first lady, talking about World AIDS Day, making — making announcements there. This is what the president cares about: How do we make lives better? And he hopes that — he hopes, you know, that’s continue — we continue to do that as a party.

As it relates to, certainly, the chairs, I — I can’t weigh in on that or step in — into that — into — into that. But I think what you have seen from the last four years, what you have seen — the president’s leadership in the last 52 years, I think, is a clear indicator at how he sees his role as a — as a leader of this party and how he sees the future of this country.

And he always talks about possibilities, and certainly that’s something that he continues to believe, is that — how important that is.

Q What is your experience of the transition? Have you met with the next team that’s coming in? What tangible changes do you think we’ll see at the White House?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, that’s up to them. You know? What we —

Q Have they come in already and had meetings with you?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What — what I can say is that we want an efficient, effective transition of power. We want it certainly to be peaceful, ri- — right? — as the president, I think, showed himself when he — when he invited President-elect Trump to — to the White House. You saw them sit together in — in the Oval Office, and that is something that President Biden wanted to —

Q But have there been more lower-level meetings?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — what I can say is we’ve been in touch with the Trump transition team. Those conversations continue. We are going to make this as smooth as possible. That’s what we want. And certainly, that’s what we will continue to do.

And teams — to your question, the teams have been talking. And I don’t have anything beyond that.

Q Is the president planning on having a press conference during this trip?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I don’t have a press conference to announce for this trip, but I’m pretty sure and — you know, the president likes to engage with you all, and I’m — I’m sure he’ll — he’ll continue to do that.

Thanks, everybody.

Q Thanks, Karine.

3:30 P.M. CVT

The post Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby En Route Luanda, Angola appeared first on The White House.

State Dining Room, The White House

It’s great to be here today with a fellow community college professor and Delawarean. Lieutenant Garden, thank you for sharing your story, and for adding a new link to the chain of your family’s military legacy. I am so grateful to you, John, and Jaiden for your family’s service.

General Nordhaus, you are guided by a deep sense of purpose. Thank you for your decades of service to our country—and for this new chapter, as you will make the Guard stronger and more resilient.

I’m also grateful to Major General Wendy Wenke, SEA John Raines, and his spouse Karen for their record of service and leadership.

The Bidens are a Guard family—our son Beau was a Major in the Delaware National Guard. So we understand what makes Guard life different.

You don’t live on bases. One day, you’ll be in uniform—and the next, you’ll be running a small business, practicing law, or teaching at a community college.

You live and work and worship among civilians. And through your service, you become the beating heart of your communities.

But I also know that this life isn’t easy. It asks you to balance the demands of a career with the responsibilities of stepping up for our country, to spend time away from your families—sometimes at a moment’s notice—and to put your lives on the line to answer the call of duty.

The day after Joe’s inauguration in 2021, I brought baskets of chocolate chip cookies to National Guard troops who had kept all of us safe on that important day. It was a small act, but full of a Guard mom’s love and gratitude.

National Guard families are always in my heart.

As First Lady, I’ve made National Guard families—and all military families—a priority.

Over the past four years, through our initiative to support military families, called Joining Forces, we’ve been helping make sure that National Guard kids have the support they need in schools, that spouses have all of the career opportunities they deserve, and that we care for both the physical and mental health of our service members.

I began my time as First Lady by thanking National Guard members, and I remain grateful. For your service, and for sharing your stories and hopes with me. I have been so proud to work together, arm in arm, to make this life a little easier for fellow Guard families.

Now, this is a special time of year as we transform this house for the holidays. And one of the privileges I have as First Lady is deciding who will be the first to experience the magic of the season here at the White House.

Every year, I’ve asked to share it with National Guard families.

So today, I hope you’ve found delight in everything from the gingerbread house to the carousel that circles the tree in the Blue Room—and that even in the flow of the holiday season, you would find peace in your purpose and strength in your community.

May God bless you and your families.

Happy holidays!

###

The post Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at a Holiday Reception for National Guard Families appeared first on The White House.

State Dining Room, The White House

It’s great to be here today with a fellow community college professor and Delawarean. Lieutenant Garden, thank you for sharing your story, and for adding a new link to the chain of your family’s military legacy. I am so grateful to you, John, and Jaiden for your family’s service.

General Nordhaus, you are guided by a deep sense of purpose. Thank you for your decades of service to our country—and for this new chapter, as you will make the Guard stronger and more resilient.

I’m also grateful to Major General Wendy Wenke, SEA John Raines, and his spouse Karen for their record of service and leadership.

The Bidens are a Guard family—our son Beau was a Major in the Delaware National Guard. So we understand what makes Guard life different.

You don’t live on bases. One day, you’ll be in uniform—and the next, you’ll be running a small business, practicing law, or teaching at a community college.

You live and work and worship among civilians. And through your service, you become the beating heart of your communities.

But I also know that this life isn’t easy. It asks you to balance the demands of a career with the responsibilities of stepping up for our country, to spend time away from your families—sometimes at a moment’s notice—and to put your lives on the line to answer the call of duty.

The day after Joe’s inauguration in 2021, I brought baskets of chocolate chip cookies to National Guard troops who had kept all of us safe on that important day. It was a small act, but full of a Guard mom’s love and gratitude.

National Guard families are always in my heart.

As First Lady, I’ve made National Guard families—and all military families—a priority.

Over the past four years, through our initiative to support military families, called Joining Forces, we’ve been helping make sure that National Guard kids have the support they need in schools, that spouses have all of the career opportunities they deserve, and that we care for both the physical and mental health of our service members.

I began my time as First Lady by thanking National Guard members, and I remain grateful. For your service, and for sharing your stories and hopes with me. I have been so proud to work together, arm in arm, to make this life a little easier for fellow Guard families.

Now, this is a special time of year as we transform this house for the holidays. And one of the privileges I have as First Lady is deciding who will be the first to experience the magic of the season here at the White House.

Every year, I’ve asked to share it with National Guard families.

So today, I hope you’ve found delight in everything from the gingerbread house to the carousel that circles the tree in the Blue Room—and that even in the flow of the holiday season, you would find peace in your purpose and strength in your community.

May God bless you and your families.

Happy holidays!

###

The post Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at a Holiday Reception for National Guard Families appeared first on The White House.

2:51 P.M. EST
 
DR. DRIFFIN:  Hello.  I’m Dr. Daniel Driffin. 
 
As a person living with HIV, working daily among the HIV Vira- — the HIV Vaccine Trials Network, days like World AIDS Day are significant to me.
 
For more than 36 years, nations near and far have raised awareness of those impacted by and living with HIV.
 
Today, with the theme of “Collective Action: Sustain and Accelerate HIV Progress,” I know we can continue to reduce the negative impact that HIV continues to have on our lives.
 
Action and progress link our globe as we continue to make advancements towards ending HIV.  Action and progress have taken our world from no test for HIV to having rapid, home-based testing.
 
We went from medications that only stop HIV on one step of the life cycle to medications that stop HIV throughout the process of multiplying.
 
We went from the days where people had to take many pills more than one time a day to now being able to either take a pill once a day or even an injection every two months, and additional therapies and longer options are on the horizon.
 
We know pre-exposure prophylaxis works.  We know post-exposure prophylaxis works.  We boldly know undetectable equals untransmittable, especially for the people living with HIV — I mean thriving with HIV.
 
As a person living with HIV, a new discussion is finally afforded around the importance and shared decision-making with your medical providers.
 
So, today, as we share time, take a moment and take in the more than 110,000 lives which are shared on these panels behind us.  Thank you for the artists.  Thank you for beauticians.  Thank you for lawyers.  Thank you for scientists.  Thank you for community health workers, doctors, caregivers, lovers, and maybe even future congressional members, and all of the other friends that we have lost due to HIV and AIDS.
 
I am happy to bring up our first lady of the United States, Dr. Jill Biden.  (Applause.)
 
THE FIRST LADY:  (Laughs.)  Thank you.  Thank you. 
 
Daniel, thank you.  Your leadership is redefining what it means to support people with HIV — not only access to health care but with community as well.  Because of your work, more people know that they are not alone.
 
So, good afternoon and welcome to the White House.  (Applause.)
 
Hidden in crowds, scattered throughout workplaces and grocery stores and parks, there is a fellowship of people who have lost sons and daughters.
 
To the uninitiated, we look normal, average, whole.  But like a secret handshake, I can spot them by the sadness that rests in the corner of their smile, by the curve of their shoulders, as if they can still feel the small arms of a child wrapped around their necks.
 
And though we are strangers, we know untellable truths about one another: that we will spend the rest of our lives longing for a face that’s gone forever and — and that when they left our world, they took a light inside us with them.
 
Still, we have discovered moments of grace too.  Somehow, against all odds, we rise from the floor, we find a fortitude that we didn’t know we had, and we reach out for help.  We realize that we’re not alone.
 
And as I look at this beautiful quilt, with its bright colors, the names in big block letters, renderings of lives and loves, I see it as a mom.  And I think of the mothers who stitched their pain into a patchworked panel so the world would remember their child not as the victim of a vicious disease but as a son who had played in the high school jazz band, as the child who grew up to proudly serve our nation in uniform, as the daughter whose favorite holiday was Christmas.
 
The act of quilting creates a work of art that wraps us up in its beauty. 
 
This one was woven together with a grief powerful enough to move the world toward unity, acceptance, compassion, and grace.
 
And Joe and I are proud to have the AIDS Memorial Quilt on the South Lawn of the White House for the first time ever.  (Applause.)
 
And it is especially meaningful to gather with you on World AIDS Day.
 
May we all feel the power of this worldwide day of unity.  And may we always cover each other in kindness, compassion, and beauty.
 
Joe and I are honored to have Jeanne White-Ginder here with us and to join with her in remembering her son, Ryan White.  (Applause.)
 
Jeanne, I know you didn’t choose the life of an activist.  But when Ryan got sick 40 years ago, you stepped up in the fight against discrimination and helped the world see this disease more clearly.
 
I know that a part of you is still missing.  Mother to mother, thank you for your strength.
 
So, Jeanne, would you like to say a few words?  (Applause.)
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Want me to hold your cane?
 
MS. WHITE-GINDER:  Yeah, let me see. 
 
Where’s my —
 
THE FIRST LADY:  Here, I think it’s this way.  Here it is.
 
MS. WHITE-GINDER:  Okay.  (Laughter.)  Sorry.
 
Good afternoon, everybody.  My name is Jeanne White-Ginder, and I am the mother of Ryan White. 
 
Ryan was a smart and funny teenager who became HIV-infected at the age of 13.  He contracted HIV at the age of 13 and — from a blood transfusion.  AIDS took him from us five and a half years later but not before he fought his way to — back to school and taught America we needed to fight AIDS and not the people who have it.  (Applause.)
 
In 1990, however, shortly after Ryan died, Senator Kennedy asked me if I would come to Washington to explain to senators how vital it was to pass the AIDS bill which had been recently named after my son, called the — for my son, called the Ryan White CARE Act.  He said I was something much more powerful than a lobbyist: I was a mother.  I am sure that Dr. Biden can relate.  Needless — needless to say, I went.  I went to D.C.
 
The first senator I met, who was getting off the elevator at the Capitol, was Senator Joe Biden.  With tears in his eyes, he told me that he had lost his child and that the only way he had found to deal with it was through grief and with — through a purpose.
 
In the 34 years since, that’s exactly what I’ve tried to do, in partnership with the extraordinary community here today that has become my family. 
 
In many ways, personal grief has fueled the AIDS movement since the beginning.  Both Republicans and Democrats and congresses have strongly supported Ryan’s bill.  And as a result, countless lives have been saved.
 
I’m especially grateful for President Biden’s tireless leadership and all that he’s done for the fight against AIDS in the United States and around the world as senator, vice president, and president.  (Applause.)
 
That’s why, along with my daughter, Andrea, and on behalf of my dear friend and partner in this work, Sir Elton John, and his foundation — and so honored to introduce today our commander in chief in the fight against AIDS, President Joe Biden.  (Applause.)
 
Thank you so much.
 
THE PRESIDENT:  You’re —
 
MS. WHITE-GINDER:  (Inaudible.)
 
THE PRESIDENT:  You’re my commander —
 
MS. WHITE-GINDER:  Thank you.
 
THE PRESIDENT:  You’re my commander in chief.
 
MS. WHITE-GINDER:  (Laughs.)  It took us all.  Thank you.
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Careful now.
 
I told her she’s my commander in chief.  (Laughter.)
 
Folks, you’ve changed the world.  Sorry, I have a cold.  You’ve changed the world.
 
Jeanne, thank you for the introduction and for your courage.  You just described the first time we met after your son passed away, and what I saw in you then was something extraordinary.  You said it best: a mom on a mission, turning your plan into purpose. 

After all these years, looking at everything you’ve achieved, the lives you’ve touched, the country you’ve changed, the world you’ve made better, you’re extraordinary, and it’s an honor to have you with us today again at the White House.  Love you.  (Applause.)

To the families here today, as Jill just said, we know how hard it is in different ways, but we know.  We know. 

I hope you can find comfort in remembering the one thing that’s never lost: your love for them and their love for you. 

Jill and I, along with countless others, are forever grateful to you for your collective and individual courage.  And Jill and I are especially grateful for the trust you put in us. 

It’s been the honor of our lives to serve in the White House — the people’s house, your house.  We felt a special obligation to use this sacred place to ensure everyone is seen and the story of America is heard.  That’s why we’re all together here on this World AIDS Day.  And I want to thank all of you, allies and advocates who are here, including Sir Elton John’s foundation and so many others for the long history of this fight, both globally and here at home.

Jill and I met with Elton and David this summer, and this event is, in no small part, the result of that meeting. 

And a special thanks to one of the great public health officials — a true hero — who have led this fight against HIV/AIDS, Dr. Anthony Fauci.  (Applause.)  Where is Anthony? 

Anthony, you’re a good man.  (Applause.)  God love you.  As my mother would say, “God love you, Anthony.”  (Laughter.)

I also want to alo- — acknowledge Dr. Laura Cheever, HIV leader — (applause) — Department of Health and Human Services —

THE FIRST LADY:  Oh, right here.

THE PRESIDENT:  — who’s re- —

THE FIRST LADY:  In the front.  The blonde.

THE PRESIDENT:  — who’s retiring this year.  She started when she was — after 25 years of service.  She started when she was 10, if you take a look at her.  (Laughter.)  God love you. 

The idea of the quilt was conceived in 1985 by Cleve Jones and Mike Smith, who is here with us today. 

Mike, there you are.  Stand up, Mike.  (Applause.)

To honor the memory of all those we lost to HIV/AIDS.  It started with one name on one panel nearly four decades ago.  And decades later, 50,000 panels and 110,000 names. 

This quilt weighs 54 tons, the largest community art project in the entire world, and tells the tragic stories of brothers who died too soon; moms who contracted AIDS at childbirth — her daughter’s life stolen, eventually her own as well; friends and partners who lost loved ones of their lives; and so many more stories of precious lives cut too short.

And I do realize that these days of celebration, they bring back all the memories.  They’re hard.  It’s not easy.  It’s important, but it’s not easy.  So, I want to thank you for being here. 

This quilt was first displayed on the National Mall in 1987.  Over the years, it made its way to the Ellipse and President Clinton’s inaugural parade. 

Today, for the first time in our nation’s history, the sections of AIDS quilts are being publicly displayed here at the White House because — (applause) — because, like the first threads of this quilt stretched nearly 40 years ago — stitched nearly 40 years ago, this movement is fully woven into the fabric and history of America, shining a light on the memory and the legacy of all the sisters and brothers, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, moms and dads, partners and friends who have lost — who we’ve lost to this terrible disease. 

Together, we honor the spirit of resilience and the extraordinary strength of people, families, and communities affected by HIV/AIDS, including the nearly 40 million people living with HIV around the world today — 40 million.  And we send a clear message to the nation and to the world that we stand united in the fight against this epidemic. 

It matters.  It matters we reinstate that.

I remember as senator when this epidemic was raging, the stigma, the misinformation, the government failing to act and acknowledge the dignity of LBGTQ+ lives and the seriousness of the AIDS epidemic.  It caused serious harm.  It compounded pain and trauma for a community watching a generation of loved ones and friends perish.  It was horribly, horribly wrong. 

We’ve also seen advocates, survivors, families, allies who have turned their pain into purpose like all of you have, their loss into determination, their anger into a movement that’s literally changing the world.  Science — new scientific discoveries, new preventative care, new global partnerships, and so much more. 

For example, through what’s known as PEPFAR — the President’s Emergency Plan on AIDS Relief — launched by President Bush — and he deserves credit — (applause) — George W. Bush — we made the single largest investment of any nation in the world to tackle a single disease, saving more than 26 million lives so far. 

I’m proud to have reauthorized PEPFAR last year, and I can — I’m going to call on Congress to pass five-year PEPFAR reauthorization to sustain these gains we made globally.  (Applause.) 

In fact, later today, I’m traveling in Angola in Africa, where we’re deepening our partnership across the continent on mainly health priorities, including improving outcomes for people with — people living with HIV through PEPFAR. 

It matters.  It matters throughout the world. 

But for all our progress, too many people continue to live with HIV, including 1 million Americans.  That’s why my first year in office, I launched a new national HIV/AIDS strategy to ensure treatment and prevention is available to everyone everywhere, all across this country, and that includes ensuring medications that can prevent HIV infections are affordable and available in all forms, without co-pays for people with health insurance.  (Applause.)

We made clear to the insurance companies they can’t deny coverage for these medications or for lab tests that doctors recommend to patients. 

We’re fighting the stigma of discrimination against the HIV community by ending the shameful — the shameful practice of banning gay and bisexual men from donating blood; strengthening civil rights protections in medical settings for people with HIV; educating the public about the latest science in transmission, testing, and prevention and care. 

So many of you have been leading the way in these efforts, including the late Cornelius Baker — (applause) — who passed away three weeks ago, as a pioneer on advancing HIV testing. 

Together with all of you, we’re also calling on states and community leaders to repeal outdated HIV criminalization laws throughout this country.  (Applause.)

And I’m proud to announce, before the end of my term, the Center for Medical and Medi- — Medicare and Medicaid Services will update its guidance on HIV care, encouraging states to adopt the best practices using the latest science and technology.  It matters.  It matters.  (Applause.)

Folks, you’ve been standing a long time, so let me close with this.  (Laughs.)  You’re pretty good.  (Laughter.)  I know the fight to end this terrible epidemic is hard.  But I look around today — and I mean this from the bottom of my heart — I look around today at all of you — survivors, families, heroes who have never given up — and I know it’s a fight that we’re going to win for all the lives lost and for all those that are still alive.

Look at what you’ve already done to change the hearts and minds and save lives across the country and around the world. 

That’s the power of this movement.  That’s the power of memory of your loved one.  That’s the power of America. 

We just have to keep going, keep the faith, and remember who in the hell we are.  We’re the United States of America, and there’s nothing beyond our capacity when we do it together — nothing, nothing, nothing.  (Applause.)

God bless you all.  And I know I’d like to invite everyone to view the quilt, so, folks, I’m getting off this stage.  (Laughter.) 
 
But really and truly, I mean it from the bottom of my heart: You’re changing the world.  You’re changing the world. 

Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

3:11 P.M. EST

The post Remarks by President Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, Dr. Daniel Driffin, and Jeanne White-Ginder Commemorating World AIDS Day appeared first on The White House.

2:51 P.M. EST
 
DR. DRIFFIN:  Hello.  I’m Dr. Daniel Driffin. 
 
As a person living with HIV, working daily among the HIV Vira- — the HIV Vaccine Trials Network, days like World AIDS Day are significant to me.
 
For more than 36 years, nations near and far have raised awareness of those impacted by and living with HIV.
 
Today, with the theme of “Collective Action: Sustain and Accelerate HIV Progress,” I know we can continue to reduce the negative impact that HIV continues to have on our lives.
 
Action and progress link our globe as we continue to make advancements towards ending HIV.  Action and progress have taken our world from no test for HIV to having rapid, home-based testing.
 
We went from medications that only stop HIV on one step of the life cycle to medications that stop HIV throughout the process of multiplying.
 
We went from the days where people had to take many pills more than one time a day to now being able to either take a pill once a day or even an injection every two months, and additional therapies and longer options are on the horizon.
 
We know pre-exposure prophylaxis works.  We know post-exposure prophylaxis works.  We boldly know undetectable equals untransmittable, especially for the people living with HIV — I mean thriving with HIV.
 
As a person living with HIV, a new discussion is finally afforded around the importance and shared decision-making with your medical providers.
 
So, today, as we share time, take a moment and take in the more than 110,000 lives which are shared on these panels behind us.  Thank you for the artists.  Thank you for beauticians.  Thank you for lawyers.  Thank you for scientists.  Thank you for community health workers, doctors, caregivers, lovers, and maybe even future congressional members, and all of the other friends that we have lost due to HIV and AIDS.
 
I am happy to bring up our first lady of the United States, Dr. Jill Biden.  (Applause.)
 
THE FIRST LADY:  (Laughs.)  Thank you.  Thank you. 
 
Daniel, thank you.  Your leadership is redefining what it means to support people with HIV — not only access to health care but with community as well.  Because of your work, more people know that they are not alone.
 
So, good afternoon and welcome to the White House.  (Applause.)
 
Hidden in crowds, scattered throughout workplaces and grocery stores and parks, there is a fellowship of people who have lost sons and daughters.
 
To the uninitiated, we look normal, average, whole.  But like a secret handshake, I can spot them by the sadness that rests in the corner of their smile, by the curve of their shoulders, as if they can still feel the small arms of a child wrapped around their necks.
 
And though we are strangers, we know untellable truths about one another: that we will spend the rest of our lives longing for a face that’s gone forever and — and that when they left our world, they took a light inside us with them.
 
Still, we have discovered moments of grace too.  Somehow, against all odds, we rise from the floor, we find a fortitude that we didn’t know we had, and we reach out for help.  We realize that we’re not alone.
 
And as I look at this beautiful quilt, with its bright colors, the names in big block letters, renderings of lives and loves, I see it as a mom.  And I think of the mothers who stitched their pain into a patchworked panel so the world would remember their child not as the victim of a vicious disease but as a son who had played in the high school jazz band, as the child who grew up to proudly serve our nation in uniform, as the daughter whose favorite holiday was Christmas.
 
The act of quilting creates a work of art that wraps us up in its beauty. 
 
This one was woven together with a grief powerful enough to move the world toward unity, acceptance, compassion, and grace.
 
And Joe and I are proud to have the AIDS Memorial Quilt on the South Lawn of the White House for the first time ever.  (Applause.)
 
And it is especially meaningful to gather with you on World AIDS Day.
 
May we all feel the power of this worldwide day of unity.  And may we always cover each other in kindness, compassion, and beauty.
 
Joe and I are honored to have Jeanne White-Ginder here with us and to join with her in remembering her son, Ryan White.  (Applause.)
 
Jeanne, I know you didn’t choose the life of an activist.  But when Ryan got sick 40 years ago, you stepped up in the fight against discrimination and helped the world see this disease more clearly.
 
I know that a part of you is still missing.  Mother to mother, thank you for your strength.
 
So, Jeanne, would you like to say a few words?  (Applause.)
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Want me to hold your cane?
 
MS. WHITE-GINDER:  Yeah, let me see. 
 
Where’s my —
 
THE FIRST LADY:  Here, I think it’s this way.  Here it is.
 
MS. WHITE-GINDER:  Okay.  (Laughter.)  Sorry.
 
Good afternoon, everybody.  My name is Jeanne White-Ginder, and I am the mother of Ryan White. 
 
Ryan was a smart and funny teenager who became HIV-infected at the age of 13.  He contracted HIV at the age of 13 and — from a blood transfusion.  AIDS took him from us five and a half years later but not before he fought his way to — back to school and taught America we needed to fight AIDS and not the people who have it.  (Applause.)
 
In 1990, however, shortly after Ryan died, Senator Kennedy asked me if I would come to Washington to explain to senators how vital it was to pass the AIDS bill which had been recently named after my son, called the — for my son, called the Ryan White CARE Act.  He said I was something much more powerful than a lobbyist: I was a mother.  I am sure that Dr. Biden can relate.  Needless — needless to say, I went.  I went to D.C.
 
The first senator I met, who was getting off the elevator at the Capitol, was Senator Joe Biden.  With tears in his eyes, he told me that he had lost his child and that the only way he had found to deal with it was through grief and with — through a purpose.
 
In the 34 years since, that’s exactly what I’ve tried to do, in partnership with the extraordinary community here today that has become my family. 
 
In many ways, personal grief has fueled the AIDS movement since the beginning.  Both Republicans and Democrats and congresses have strongly supported Ryan’s bill.  And as a result, countless lives have been saved.
 
I’m especially grateful for President Biden’s tireless leadership and all that he’s done for the fight against AIDS in the United States and around the world as senator, vice president, and president.  (Applause.)
 
That’s why, along with my daughter, Andrea, and on behalf of my dear friend and partner in this work, Sir Elton John, and his foundation — and so honored to introduce today our commander in chief in the fight against AIDS, President Joe Biden.  (Applause.)
 
Thank you so much.
 
THE PRESIDENT:  You’re —
 
MS. WHITE-GINDER:  (Inaudible.)
 
THE PRESIDENT:  You’re my commander —
 
MS. WHITE-GINDER:  Thank you.
 
THE PRESIDENT:  You’re my commander in chief.
 
MS. WHITE-GINDER:  (Laughs.)  It took us all.  Thank you.
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Careful now.
 
I told her she’s my commander in chief.  (Laughter.)
 
Folks, you’ve changed the world.  Sorry, I have a cold.  You’ve changed the world.
 
Jeanne, thank you for the introduction and for your courage.  You just described the first time we met after your son passed away, and what I saw in you then was something extraordinary.  You said it best: a mom on a mission, turning your plan into purpose. 

After all these years, looking at everything you’ve achieved, the lives you’ve touched, the country you’ve changed, the world you’ve made better, you’re extraordinary, and it’s an honor to have you with us today again at the White House.  Love you.  (Applause.)

To the families here today, as Jill just said, we know how hard it is in different ways, but we know.  We know. 

I hope you can find comfort in remembering the one thing that’s never lost: your love for them and their love for you. 

Jill and I, along with countless others, are forever grateful to you for your collective and individual courage.  And Jill and I are especially grateful for the trust you put in us. 

It’s been the honor of our lives to serve in the White House — the people’s house, your house.  We felt a special obligation to use this sacred place to ensure everyone is seen and the story of America is heard.  That’s why we’re all together here on this World AIDS Day.  And I want to thank all of you, allies and advocates who are here, including Sir Elton John’s foundation and so many others for the long history of this fight, both globally and here at home.

Jill and I met with Elton and David this summer, and this event is, in no small part, the result of that meeting. 

And a special thanks to one of the great public health officials — a true hero — who have led this fight against HIV/AIDS, Dr. Anthony Fauci.  (Applause.)  Where is Anthony? 

Anthony, you’re a good man.  (Applause.)  God love you.  As my mother would say, “God love you, Anthony.”  (Laughter.)

I also want to alo- — acknowledge Dr. Laura Cheever, HIV leader — (applause) — Department of Health and Human Services —

THE FIRST LADY:  Oh, right here.

THE PRESIDENT:  — who’s re- —

THE FIRST LADY:  In the front.  The blonde.

THE PRESIDENT:  — who’s retiring this year.  She started when she was — after 25 years of service.  She started when she was 10, if you take a look at her.  (Laughter.)  God love you. 

The idea of the quilt was conceived in 1985 by Cleve Jones and Mike Smith, who is here with us today. 

Mike, there you are.  Stand up, Mike.  (Applause.)

To honor the memory of all those we lost to HIV/AIDS.  It started with one name on one panel nearly four decades ago.  And decades later, 50,000 panels and 110,000 names. 

This quilt weighs 54 tons, the largest community art project in the entire world, and tells the tragic stories of brothers who died too soon; moms who contracted AIDS at childbirth — her daughter’s life stolen, eventually her own as well; friends and partners who lost loved ones of their lives; and so many more stories of precious lives cut too short.

And I do realize that these days of celebration, they bring back all the memories.  They’re hard.  It’s not easy.  It’s important, but it’s not easy.  So, I want to thank you for being here. 

This quilt was first displayed on the National Mall in 1987.  Over the years, it made its way to the Ellipse and President Clinton’s inaugural parade. 

Today, for the first time in our nation’s history, the sections of AIDS quilts are being publicly displayed here at the White House because — (applause) — because, like the first threads of this quilt stretched nearly 40 years ago — stitched nearly 40 years ago, this movement is fully woven into the fabric and history of America, shining a light on the memory and the legacy of all the sisters and brothers, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, moms and dads, partners and friends who have lost — who we’ve lost to this terrible disease. 

Together, we honor the spirit of resilience and the extraordinary strength of people, families, and communities affected by HIV/AIDS, including the nearly 40 million people living with HIV around the world today — 40 million.  And we send a clear message to the nation and to the world that we stand united in the fight against this epidemic. 

It matters.  It matters we reinstate that.

I remember as senator when this epidemic was raging, the stigma, the misinformation, the government failing to act and acknowledge the dignity of LBGTQ+ lives and the seriousness of the AIDS epidemic.  It caused serious harm.  It compounded pain and trauma for a community watching a generation of loved ones and friends perish.  It was horribly, horribly wrong. 

We’ve also seen advocates, survivors, families, allies who have turned their pain into purpose like all of you have, their loss into determination, their anger into a movement that’s literally changing the world.  Science — new scientific discoveries, new preventative care, new global partnerships, and so much more. 

For example, through what’s known as PEPFAR — the President’s Emergency Plan on AIDS Relief — launched by President Bush — and he deserves credit — (applause) — George W. Bush — we made the single largest investment of any nation in the world to tackle a single disease, saving more than 26 million lives so far. 

I’m proud to have reauthorized PEPFAR last year, and I can — I’m going to call on Congress to pass five-year PEPFAR reauthorization to sustain these gains we made globally.  (Applause.) 

In fact, later today, I’m traveling in Angola in Africa, where we’re deepening our partnership across the continent on mainly health priorities, including improving outcomes for people with — people living with HIV through PEPFAR. 

It matters.  It matters throughout the world. 

But for all our progress, too many people continue to live with HIV, including 1 million Americans.  That’s why my first year in office, I launched a new national HIV/AIDS strategy to ensure treatment and prevention is available to everyone everywhere, all across this country, and that includes ensuring medications that can prevent HIV infections are affordable and available in all forms, without co-pays for people with health insurance.  (Applause.)

We made clear to the insurance companies they can’t deny coverage for these medications or for lab tests that doctors recommend to patients. 

We’re fighting the stigma of discrimination against the HIV community by ending the shameful — the shameful practice of banning gay and bisexual men from donating blood; strengthening civil rights protections in medical settings for people with HIV; educating the public about the latest science in transmission, testing, and prevention and care. 

So many of you have been leading the way in these efforts, including the late Cornelius Baker — (applause) — who passed away three weeks ago, as a pioneer on advancing HIV testing. 

Together with all of you, we’re also calling on states and community leaders to repeal outdated HIV criminalization laws throughout this country.  (Applause.)

And I’m proud to announce, before the end of my term, the Center for Medical and Medi- — Medicare and Medicaid Services will update its guidance on HIV care, encouraging states to adopt the best practices using the latest science and technology.  It matters.  It matters.  (Applause.)

Folks, you’ve been standing a long time, so let me close with this.  (Laughs.)  You’re pretty good.  (Laughter.)  I know the fight to end this terrible epidemic is hard.  But I look around today — and I mean this from the bottom of my heart — I look around today at all of you — survivors, families, heroes who have never given up — and I know it’s a fight that we’re going to win for all the lives lost and for all those that are still alive.

Look at what you’ve already done to change the hearts and minds and save lives across the country and around the world. 

That’s the power of this movement.  That’s the power of memory of your loved one.  That’s the power of America. 

We just have to keep going, keep the faith, and remember who in the hell we are.  We’re the United States of America, and there’s nothing beyond our capacity when we do it together — nothing, nothing, nothing.  (Applause.)

God bless you all.  And I know I’d like to invite everyone to view the quilt, so, folks, I’m getting off this stage.  (Laughter.) 
 
But really and truly, I mean it from the bottom of my heart: You’re changing the world.  You’re changing the world. 

Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

3:11 P.M. EST

The post Remarks by President Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, Dr. Daniel Driffin, and Jeanne White-Ginder Commemorating World AIDS Day appeared first on The White House.